D2: 'The Triumph of Jim Crow', 1883-c1900

what is the name jim crow synonymous with?

segregation laws in the USA

when did the jim crow era last until?

until 1963 when the civil rights act passed outlawing segregation in all public places

what did segregation laws do?

prevented BA from eating at the same restaurants, sitting on benches, using the same toilets, etc. as WA

where did the name ‘jim crow’ originate from?

a theatre persona → racist depiction of african americans and their culture i.e. blackface

when was the supreme court created and for what purpose?

1789 → as a final court of appeal in cases of both civil and criminal law

what were the supreme court decisions of 1883?

• declared the civil rights act unconstitutional

• considered discrimination in respect of 13th amendment did not amount to ‘slavery’ and therefore did not contravene the amendment

• 14th amendment was related to actions of state govts., not individual acts of discrimination

what did the civil rights cases of 1883 raise issues on?

discrimination on the grounds of race at the hands of private organisations e.g. inns/hotels, public entertainment (theatres), public transport

what were ‘jim crow cars’?

special carriages at the ends of trains specifically for black people

what did frederick douglass claim had happened in a speech following the 1883 supreme court decisions?

• that US government had forgotten the intentions behind the legislations they passed

• have instead found loopholes to continue discriminating and segregating BA

what was the first state to introduce legal segregation on rail travel and when?

florida, 1887

declared that black and white people had to occupy separate rail carriages

any black person convicted of violating this faced a fine of $500

list some public facilities that started introducing legal segregation.

• hospitals

• hotels

• restaurants

• public houses

• prisons

• theatres

• cemeteries

• public transport (e.g. trams)

how did segregation go beyond legal segregation enacted by state law?

de facto segregation

i.e. segregation by individuals

in some places, prostitutes were even separated by race

how did the supreme court effectively encourage segregation?

• by invalidating the civil rights act in the 1883 decisions

• by not prosecuting those who segregated in private organisations

how many ex-slaves were enfranchised as a result of the 15th amendment?

700,000

what was disenfranchisement (in the context of the reconstruction ending)?

southern state govts. - dominated by democrat party - began a process which effectively removed most BA from the voting and political system

what was the intended impact of disenfranchisement?

• to reverse the political gains of BA during Reconstruction

• to ensure the dominance of the democrat party (white-dominated) in the south

how and when did mississippi partake in disenfranchisement?

1890 → adopt a new state constitution

why did mississippi want a new state constitution?

to deprive BA of the right to vote

in 1890, what percentage of mississippi’s population was BA?

50%

what was the main way that mississippi’s new state constitution changed the voting system and how did it affect BA?

demanded $2 poll tax for voter registration

alienated/disproportionately affected poverty-stricken BA

apart from the $2 poll tax, what other ways did mississippi’s new state constitution do and why was it impactful?

introduced a literacy test for all voter registration

impactful because: 60% of mississippi’s black population were illiterate in 1890

when did mississippi’s new state legislature come into effect?

january 1892

overall, what was the impact of mississippi’s new state legislature?

before 1890, 67% of voters in mississippi were BA

by january 1892, this had dropped to 5.7%

when was louisiana’s ‘grandfather clause’ and what did it do?

1898 → stated that no man who had been eligible to vote on 1 january 1867 would be required to meet literacy or property-ownership requirements in order to register to vote

how did the ‘grandfather clause’ exclude BA?

black people weren’t granted the right to vote until the 15th amendment passed in 1870

when was the case of plessy vs. ferguson?

1896

what was the case of plessy vs. ferguson about?

basis was to test the constitutionality of segregated rail carriages

plessy was mixed race but white presenting and was confused at what rail carriage he should use

what was the supreme court decision regarding plessy vs. ferguson?

said as long as facilities were ‘equal’ - i.e. ‘separate but equal’ - segregation wasn't a problem

how was the impact of the supreme court decision in plessy vs. ferguson different from the 1883 supreme court decisions?

underpinned segregation and discrimination in the law, making segregation not just allowable but expected

when was the case of cumming vs. richmond county board of education?

1897-99

what was the case of cumming vs. richmond county board of education?

richmond county board of education levied a tax of $45,000 a year

alienated BA from (the only black school) ware high school who currently only had to pay $10 per year

why was the case of cumming vs. richmond county board of education not necessarily racially motivated? why was it still negatively impacting BA?

it replaced the 1 BA-only school with 4 BA-only schools

extended the idea of ‘separate but equal protection of the law’ to education system + allowed all schools to set up racially segregated public school education systems

when did racially segregated public school systems last from and to?

the case of cumming vs. richmond county board of education in 1899 to the 1950s

define lynching.

the illegal execution of an accused person by a mob

how many black men and women were lynched from 1877-1950 approximately?

3959

what were the 3 main ‘reasons’ for lynching?

• distorted fear of sex between races (most commonly white women and black men)

• desire to dominate and terrorize the black community

• for a public spectacle i.e. for fun

what percentage of lynchings were presumed to be from “trivial offenses”?

11.5%

give some examples of “trivial offenses” that black people were lynched for between 1877-1950.

• registering to vote

• peeping into a window

• testifying against a white man

in what time frame did the number of lynchings grow significantly?

the last two decades of the 19th century

in the 1890s, how many black people were lynched per year?

an average of 187 per year = 3 per week

how did white people interact with lynchings?

it was typical for hundreds or thousands of spectators to watch lynchings picnic-style

what was the impact of making lynchings public spectacles?

it reinforced the efficiency and tyranny of jim crow

who was ida b. wells and what did she do?

civil rights campaigner, particularly notable for investigating lynching

when was the british anti-lynching committee established and who by?

1894 → established by ida b. wells