1. And how they affected the American Civil Rights Movement
The Jim Crow Laws
And how they affected the American Civil Rights Movement

2. Jim Crow was the name given to a minstrel routine
First presented in 1828 by Thomas Dartmouth Rice
White actors dressed in blackface and imitated African Americans
Came to be a very derogatory epithet for African Americans
“Jump Jim Crow” (1828)

3. What were the Jim Crow Laws?
Not only racial segregation laws but an ideology/state of mind that approved racism
Led to economical, educational and social disadvantages for Black people
Built on the idea that African Americans were “separate but equal”
Approved of violence, including lynching
What were the Jim Crow Laws?

4. Jim Crow Etiquette Ideology Way of life
Whites and Blacks could not shake hands, Black people would be considered equal to Whites which was not allowed
Black men could not light a white woman’s cigarette because it suggested intimacy
Violence was approved
Jim Crow Etiquette

5. Sample Laws
Motor transportation shall have separate waiting rooms, ticket windows and seats for Whites and Blacks
Intermarriage between whites and any other race was punishable by 12 months of prison or a $500 fine
Separate ticket windows at any show (circuses, theatre etc.) – must be at least 25 feet apart
Segregation in schools and all public areas (parks, restaurants, transport)

7. The Plessy vs Ferguson Case
Homer Plessy
7/8 white, 1/8 black
purchases rail ticket and refuses to move to black section
He is arrested tried and convicted of violating Separate Car Act
THIS WAS ALL PLANNED!
The Plessy vs Ferguson Case

8. The Plessy vs Ferguson Case
Justice John Ferguson denies that Plessy’s rights had been violated
In Supreme Court – majority agrees with Ferguson
Only 1 vote disagreed
“Our constitution is color blind and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens… all citizens are equal before the law.”
- John Harlan
End Result:
Decision ultimately legalizes state mandated segregation as long as the facilities provided for both Blacks and Whites were “equal”
The Plessy vs Ferguson Case

9. The Jim Crow laws showed the people who were part of the Civil Rights Movement and us today how prejudiced people were towards coloured people
Understandable that African Americans wanted change in the USA
Jim Crow Laws helped spark the Civil Rights Movement
People acted out against these laws
Significance