Jim Crow laws were first called the Black Codes. In the southern states African Americans were not allowed to vote or join the legislature. They had to stay separate--in transportation, restaurants, schools, theatres and like this picture shows- bathrooms too. By the 1890's the term Jim Crow Laws meant the separation of African Americans and European Americans and the general customs that discriminate against African Americans as inferior.
The laws were enforced by the courts. In the case of Plessy v Fersguson, Plessy , who was considered a black man, was told to move from the white section of the train. He refused to move and the next time he deliberately sat in the white section. He was arrested. He appealed
the case to the Supreme Court, saying it was unconstitutional. He thought they had violated his rights. The Supreme Court said that his rights were not violated. Separate facilities are constitutional as long as they are "equal." But they never really were equal.
The laws were also enforced by violence. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was a group started by confederate veterans in about 1865. It included mayors, judges, and sheriffs. They disguised themselves and went after the African Americans and European Americans who did not follow the Jim Crow laws. They engaged also in random violence against African Americans. They used cross burnings, throat cutting, lynching, and gunning them down. They also burned churches and schools. The Klan activities ended in 1872 but came back again strong in 1915. There are still Klansmen today.
Emma C & Laura (Deborah's Design Team)
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