Study Notes on Jim Crow Laws, Nuremberg Laws, and Apartheid Policies

Jim Crow Laws

Overview

  • Jim Crow laws were state and local statutes that legalized racial segregation in the United States from the late 19th century until the Civil Rights Movement.

  • The term "Jim Crow" originates from a blackface minstrel character created in the 1830s.

Examples of Jim Crow Laws

  • Birmingham, Alabama, 1930:

    • "It shall be unlawful for a negro and white person to play together or in company with each other in any game of cards or dice, dominoes or checkers."

  • Arkansas, 1903:

    • "It shall be unlawful for any white prisoner to be handcuffed or otherwise chained or tied to a negro prisoner."

  • Atlanta, Georgia, 1926:

    • "No colored barber shall serve as a barber to white women or girls."

  • Nebraska, 1911:

    • "Marriages are void when one party is a white person and the other is possessed of one-eighth or more negro, Japanese, or Chinese blood."

  • Mississippi, 1920:

    • "Any person…presenting for public acceptance or general information, arguments or suggestions in favor of social equality or of intermarriage between whites and negroes, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars or imprisonment not exceeding six months or both fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court."

  • Missouri, 1929:

    • "Separate free schools shall be established for the education of children of African descent; and it shall be unlawful for any colored child to attend any white school, or any white child to attend a colored school."

  • Maryland, 1924:

    • "Any white woman who shall suffer or permit herself to be got with child by a negro or mulatto…shall be sentenced to the penitentiary for not less than eighteen months."

  • Tennessee, 1891:

    • "All railroads carrying passengers in the state (other than street railroads) shall provide equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races, by providing two or more passenger cars for each passenger train, or by dividing the cars by a partition, so as to secure separate accommodations."

  • Oklahoma, 1915:

    • "The Corporate Commission is hereby vested with power to require telephone companies in the State of Oklahoma to maintain separate booths for white and colored patrons when there is a demand for such separate booths."

Nuremberg Laws

Overview

  • The Nuremberg Laws were antisemitic laws in Nazi Germany that institutionalized many of the racial theories prevalent in Nazi ideology.

  • Enacted on September 15, 1935, these laws aimed to protect German blood and honor.

Key Articles of the Nuremberg Laws

  • Article 1:

    • 1.1: "Marriages between Jews and subjects of the state of German or related blood are forbidden.

    • 1.2: Marriages concluded abroad to circumvent this law are invalid.

    • 1.3: Annulment proceedings can be initiated only by the State Prosecutor.

  • Article 2:

    • "Extramarital intercourse between Jews and subjects of the state of German or related blood is forbidden."

  • Article 3:

    • "Jews may not employ in their households female subjects of the state of German or related blood who are under 45 years old."

  • Article 4:

    • 1: "Jews are forbidden to fly the Reich or National flag or to display the Reich colors.

    • 2: Jews may display the Jewish colors.

  • Article 5:

    • 1: Violations of prohibition under §1 will be punished by a prison sentence with hard labor.

    • 2: A male who violates §2 will face a prison sentence with or without hard labor.

    • 3: Violations of provisions under §3 or §4 will be punished with a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine, or one of these penalties.

  • Article 6:

    • Legal and Administrative regulations required to implement this law will be issued by the Reich Minister of the Interior in coordination with the Deputy of the Führer and the Reich Minister of Justice.

  • Article 7:

    • This law took effect on the day following promulgation; §3 goes into force on January 1, 1936.

The National Party’s Colour Policy, 1948

Overview

  • The National Party in South Africa formalized apartheid policies, emphasizing racial separation and segregation across social, political, and economic spheres.

Statements from the National Party

  • Policy of equality advocates equal rights in the same political structure for all civilized persons irrespective of race.

  • Policy of separation (apartheid) advocates maintaining a pure White race, developing separate communities for indigenous groups.

  • Argument against equality suggests it would lead to national suicide for the White race.

  • Policy articulated to protect all races; separation allows for self-support and respect among diverse races.

  • Prohibition of Marriages:

    • All marriages between Europeans and non-Europeans prohibited.

  • Non-European Development:

    • Non-European racial groups will be afforded opportunities for self-development in their areas.

Social and Political Regulations Under Apartheid

  • Complete separation (algehele apartheid) promoted as ideal.

  • Establishment of a permanent advisory body for non-European affairs.

  • Churches and societies undermining apartheid met with State intervention.