Sports and Jim Crow

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to the influence of Jim Crow laws on sports and athletes from 1865 to 1965.

Wilmington Massacre

A brutal event in 1898 where powerful white democrats attacked and killed black citizens in Wilmington, NC.

• lead by William R Kenan

Plessy v. Ferguson

The 1896 Supreme Court case that established the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Major Taylor

An African American cyclist who was one of the best athletes of his time and faced racial discrimination.

Color Line

The social and racial boundaries imposed after the Civil War, primarily affecting African Americans.

Gentlemen's Agreement

An informal agreement among baseball owners to exclude black players from the sport.

Isaac Murphy

A prominent African American jockey who won three Kentucky Derby titles in the late 19th century.

• born into slave system in Kentucky

Moses Fleetwood Walker

The first black professional baseball player in the United States, who played in 1884 for the Toledo Blue Stockings.

• Pitchers agreed that he was the best catcher

• Pitchers agreed to get him not to return for the 1885 season.

Jimmy Winkfield

The last black jockey to win the Kentucky Derby, achieving victory in 1902.

Cycling

A sport that gained popularity in the late 19th century, notably with the racial exclusion of black cyclists.

Boxing during Jim Crow

A sport where black athletes like George Dixon and Joe Gans rose to prominence, causing anxiety among white audiences.

The Kenan Family

A prominent family in the South known for their wealth gained from slave labor and their influence in Wilmington.

Labor Union

An organization formed by workers to protect their rights, but excluded black jockeys in the case of the Jockey Association.

Scorchers

A term used in cycling to describe aggressive riders on a velodrome, often associated with the rise of cycling.

Fisticuffs

A term used to describe boxing or fighting, particularly in reference to the rise of black boxers in the late 19th century.

Fusion

• poor white and back citzens fused together to vote for people who have working people in mind

• based on class interests

• Strong in Wilmington, NC

The Glaring Contradiction

There is a glaring contradiction between relict and reality in the United States during the Jim Crow era, where laws promoted racial segregation while simultaneously claiming to uphold equality.

Jim Crow

refers to a set of state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States from the late 19th century until the mid-20th century.

Black Jockeys Disappear

• white jockeys would work together and try to defeat the black jockeys

• White jockeys formed the Jockey Association in 1896