AM

Racism and Historical Context

Post-Civil War South and Jim Crow Laws

  • Reconstruction Era:
    • Followed the Civil War, ending around 1875.
    • Federal troops occupied the South to ensure fair elections and protect black people from discrimination.
  • Jim Crow Laws:
    • After federal troop withdrawal, Southern states enacted racist laws known as Jim Crow laws
    • These laws made it difficult or impossible for the government itself to discriminate against people.
    • Jim Crow is a reference to blackface.

Racism Overview and Historical Context

  • Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Idea that if you combine blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and all of them there'll be more of those people than white people.
    • Racism overview article from 2021 mentioned.
    • Issues and controversies article showing both sides of the story present articles and news from different time periods in Mississippi history.

Historical Examples of Racism

  • The Birth of a Nation:
    • Silent movie depicting the Klan as heroes saving a southern town overrun by black people.
    • State representative donated a portrait of himself in full Klan regalia to the Old Capitol Museum.
    • Due to the wooded area in North Mississippi, the KKK members could not wear cones.
  • Jamaica example:
    • Proxy war controlled by gangs, with the CIA and KGB involved.
    • Bob Marley's neutral stance and unification concert.
    • Attempted assassination two days before the concert.

Thesis Statements and Types of Racism

  • Thesis statements:
    • Thesis statement that forecasts the main points of the paper.
  • Types of Racism:
    • Overt Racism:
      • Historical examples: Ross Barnett or Theodore Bilbo.
      • 1972 government mandated school desegregation (JA and MRA mentioned).
      • Symbols and names referencing the Civil War (Rebels, Raiders, Patriots).