Jim Crow Essay - 705 Words

Fall 2010 Term Paper The Strange Career of Jim Crow by Van Woodward is based on the time period surrounding the Civil Rights Movement. This book is an accurate account of events that occurred during this time. It shows how the 1896 US Supreme Court Ruling affected blacks and the obstacles they faced to overcome. This book shows how the rights of African Americans have evolved over time. Van Woodward did an excellent job illustrating the events of history with The Strange Career of Jim Crow and created a factual account of history that is still used in classrooms today. The historical context in which this book was written surrounds the events that took place during the Civil Rights Movement. There were several influential legal†¦show more content†¦referred to this book by Van Woodward as â€Å"the historical bible of the civil rights movement† because it spoke about the difficulties of race relations and brought attention to what blacks went through to get to where they a re today. Martin Luther King Jr. was a respected figure and had a dream for equality among blacks and whites. King liked the message that this book provided. Van Woodward writes â€Å"striking incongruities appeared between the needs and moods of the black ghetto and the goals and strategies of the civil rights crusade, as typified by the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr., and voiced in his lyrical dream† (Van Woodward, 193). In 1896, the court case of Plessy vs. Ferguson ruled that the states had the right to legally segregate public facilities. This court ruling fueled the fire of Southerners in regards to race relations, leading to the Jim Crow laws. These laws went as far as to say blacks could not cut a white person’s hair, drink from the same water fountain as a white person, and established a test for blacks to take prior to getting a ballot. The Strange Career of Jim Crow is a book that opens reader’s eyes to obstacles that black people faced dur ing this period of time. Van Woodward does an excellent job in this book illustrating history. He provides factual and vivid examples of the racism that blacks faced in their fight for equality. It is obvious that this is a well written book in that it is still being publishedShow MoreRelatedJim Crow, By John Crow Essay811 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Jim Crow† was a character portrayed in Minstrelsy shows to be goofy, drunk, lazy, and uneducated. This character set a very harsh stereo type for African Americans. Jim Crow became a common racial slur. According to Dr. David Pilgrim of Ferris State University by 1838, the term Jim Crow was being used as a slur for African Americans which was not as offensive as nigger, but more similar to coon or darkie (Pilgrim, David, Dr. Who Was Jim Crow.). According to PBS Jim Crow was â€Å"named afterRead MoreIs The Jim Crow Laws?962 Words   |  4 PagesThe topic that I chose for my research paper is the Jim Crow laws. I chose th is topic because during this time period the Jim Crow laws were a huge obstacle that our country had to overcome in order to grow. The Jim Crow laws were created to separate whites and blacks in their everyday lives, allowing for no interaction between races. The Jim Crow Laws were enforced in the southern, United States. The laws existed between 1877 and the 1950’s, around the time the reconstruction period was ending andRead MoreJim Crow Laws766 Words   |  3 PagesThe problem with people is that many don’t like to see other ethical culture succeed. What people don’t know is that if that ethical group does not succeed then they together can not succeed as a racial community. The end of slavery but the rise of Jim Crow laws brought the acts of inequality, separation, and the mistreatment of the colored. During the end of formal reconstruction in the south in 1877, a new beginning of racial segregation began in the United States of America. â€Å"White people don’tRead MoreJim Crow Laws590 Words   |  2 Pagesâ€Å"The Jim Crow era was one of struggle -- not only for the victims of violence, discrimination, and poverty, but by those who worked to challenge (or promote) segregation in the South† (â€Å"Jim Crow Stories†). It is important to know the history of this significant period where everyone was treated differently based on how they looked instead of their character. During the Jim Crow era, the lives of African Americans were severely restricted making it difficult for them to succeed in everyday life. Read MoreThe New Jim Crow?919 Words   |  4 PagesMichelle Alexander, the author of The New Jim Crow, did not see the prison systems as racially motivated until doing further research. After researching the issue, Alexander found the prison system was a way to oppress African Americans and wrote the novel The New Jim Crow. The New Jim Crow follows the history of the racial caste system and in the novel Alexander comes to the conclusion that the mass incarceration of African American is the New Jim Crow, or in other words a new system of black oppressionRead MoreThe Strange Career Of Jim Crow Essay1198 Words   |  5 PagesJim Crow laws were also known as â€Å"Black Codes† in many parts of the United States. C. Vann Woodward’s book The Strange Career of Jim Crow: A Commemorative Edition explains the history of racial segregation in America from the end of the Civil War until the mid-1960s. The system of slavery that existed before the Civil War â€Å"†¦made separation of the races for the most part impracticable.† Racial segregation was not encoded in law until after the Civil War. Woodward’s book is an effective history ofRead MoreThe Denomination For The Jim Crow Laws1230 Words   |  5 Pages The denomination for the Jim Crow Laws first originated in the mid 1800s from a character in a Minstrel Show. The Minstrel Show was one of the first forms of American regalement ever engendered and took place in 1843. The exhibition was performed by successors of African American musical composition and dance routine actors. The first Minstrel Show was in Virginia and commenced by a group of four men from Virginia who all painted their faces ebony and performed a minute musical composition and danceRead MoreThe Jim Crow, By Harper Lee1053 Words   |  5 Pagesoccurred during the Jim Crow era in the decades subsequent to the civil war. Following the release of all African American slaves, it was a priority of the intolerable Southern states to reassure their white superiority. This was done by implementing the Jim Crow caste system which limited the rights and abilities of African Americans. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel reflecting the life of author Harper Lee To Kill A Mockingb ird shows accurate demonstrations of the Jim Crow south; this novel takesRead MoreThe Strange Career Of Jim Crow862 Words   |  4 PagesJim crow laws In the 18th century the civil war had brought in end to slavery ,when the union beat the confederacy.Many people believe that slavery ended right there, and that anything else that happened to African Americans after that was due to racism of the people of that time.When in reality that change had caused ripples, that would shape history and the way people think all the way till today.Using historical ideas ,journals ,and such C.Vann Woodward in The Strange Career Of JIM CROW Read MoreThe Segregation Of The Jim Crow Laws1521 Words   |  7 Pages The loud chatter of the audience at the old Park Theater in New York was for a one man show performed by Thomas Rice. To the all white audience, Jim Crow was vigorously funny. Clothed in a stable boy costume and a straw hat, his white face darkened by coal in a behaviour recognized as â€Å"blackface.† He danced and sang and even spoke in mockery of the black slang. He portrayed blacks as ignorant, greedy and foolish. Even though h is act was for entertainment purposes, Thomas Rice implied through his