Reading Comprehension & DBQ

Jim Crow Laws

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Jim Crow LawsHistoryMany people anticipated the end of the Civil War would greatly improve the lives of slaves in the South. President Lincoln gave them freedom from slavery and declared slaves citizens of the United States. Citizenship guaranteed certain rights by the Constitution, so life should have been much better, but it was not.

Black CodesSeveral southern states created laws called Black Codes, harsh rules that sought to maintain a status similar to slavery in the South, even after the Civil War. Black Codes were ended by the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Fourteenth Amendment, stating, “No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Jim Crow LawsThe Jim Crow laws were created in the southern United States. These laws enforced segregation between white and black people in public facilities like schools, transportation, restrooms, and restaurants. They also made it difficult for black people to vote.

Colored Only

CharacterThe name “Jim Crow” came from an African American character featured in an 1832 song. He was a clown character

found in minstrel shows where a white actor often blackened his face and performed like a fool. The term “Jim Crow” was often used to refer to African Americans after the song came out and segregation laws became known as “Jim Crows” laws. The phrase, “separate but equal” was used to justify segregation.

ExamplesJim Crow laws were designed to keep black and white people separate. For example, all passenger stations in Alabama were required to have separate waiting rooms and ticket windows for white and colored races. In Florida, separate schools were required for black and white children. The rules went as far as separating blacks and whites in graveyards in Georgia. Prison wardens in Mississippi had to be sure blacks and whites were separated while eating and sleeping. Even the United States Army was segregated until 1948 until President Harry Truman ordered the armed services be desegregated.

VotingThere were many laws that tried to prevent black people from voting, even though the Fifteenth Amendment had been passed by Congress, giving black men the right to vote. One of the laws that restricted blacks from voting was a poll tax, a fee required to vote. Many blacks did not have extra money, so voting was

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not an option. Reading tests were also required to be passed in many states before blacks could vote. Former slaves, who had been denied an education, had no chance of passing these tests and being able to vote. Another way states kept blacks from voting was called the “Grandfather Clause.” If a person’s grandfather had not voted, then that person was not allowed to vote. Blacks had just been given the right to vote, so none of their grandfathers had voted, making it impossible for them to vote.

VigilantesMany states bypassed the Fourteenth Amendment by creating their own laws. Whites still maintained the majority of seats in state legislatures, so it was easy to pass laws that benefited them. Many states made marriage or even dating between races illegal. A person could be put into prison for these crimes. Some vigilantes took the law into their own hands to handle anyone who they thought was breaking the law. A vigilante is a person who tries to enforce laws without the help of regular law enforcement. Many hangings, known as lynching, were performed by these vigilantes. One famous vigilante group was the Ku Klux Klan. Many Jim Crow laws were enforced until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed.

Great MigrationIn order to avoid the Jim Crow laws, as many as six million African Americans relocated to the North and West. This is often referred to as the Great Migration. The Jim Crow laws are typically associated with the American South, but there were racial laws in other states, such as California. They had a law making it illegal for people of Chinese ancestry to vote. Another California law made it illegal to sell alcohol to Indians.

Plessy v. FergusonStarting in the late 1800s, African Americans started organizing protests against segregation. A black man named Homer Plessy took the railroad to court saying the Jim Crow law requiring black passengers to ride in separate railroad cars in Louisiana was unconstitutional. The United States Supreme Court ruled that separate railroad cars were legal, as long as they were equal to the cars used by the whites.

ProgressEventually the Supreme Court overturned the Plessy case and ruled that segregation was illegal in the famous Brown v. Board of Education Case. Other protests like the

Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Birmingham Campaign, and the March on Washington brought the issue of Jim Crow to national attention. The laws were declared illegal with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation made slavery illegal, it still took many years to break down the barriers created by it.

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Name_________________________________________

Jim Crow LawsTrue or False?: Place a check in the correct column.

Statement T F1. Life improved greatly for blacks soon after the Civil War.

2. Blacks were declared United States’ citizens after the Civil War.

3. Many whites saw blacks as second-class citizens.

4. Black Codes were created to help blacks get equal rights.

5. Black Codes were abolished by the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

6. Jim Crow laws were created after the Black Codes ended.

7. Jim Crow laws were created to separate blacks and whites.

8. The United States Army was not desegregated until 1964.

9. Poll taxes prevented many blacks from voting.

10. The KKK was a vigilante group who often lynched blacks.

11. Many African Americans moved to the North after the Civil War.

12. The South was the only part of the country with racist laws.

13. The Plessy case in Louisiana declared segregation legal.

14. The Brown v. Board of Education case upheld the Plessy case.

15. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a huge step for racial equality.

Multiple Choice: Choose the best answer.

16. Which of the following was NOT true for slaves after the Civil War? A. They were given their freedom. B. Life improved greatly for them. C. They were declared citizens. D. They were guaranteed rights legally.

17. Which of the following was NOT a way whites continued to put blacks down after the Civil War? A. They created the Black Codes. B. They created the Jim Crow laws. C. They passed the 14th Amendment. D. They segregated public facilities.

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18. What was the MAIN purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment? A. To guarantee rights for all citizens of the United States. B. To prevent blacks from voting. C. To abolish slavery. D. To make separate facilities for black and whites legal.

19. Which of the following is NOT true about Jim Crow? A. He was a real man. B. He was an African American character. C. He was featured in a song. D. He acted like a fool.

20. What was the MAIN purpose of the Jim Crow laws? A. To make blacks citizens. B. To reinstate slavery for blacks. C. To keep black and whites separate. D. To prevent blacks from voting.

21. Which of the following was NOT a law that prevented blacks from voting? A. Poll taxes B. The Fifteenth Amendment C. Literacy tests D. Grandfather Clause

22. Why were many states able to get around the Fourteenth Amendment? A. They seceded from the United States. B. They were involved in a Civil War. C. They had not rejoined the United States. D. They passed laws that benefitted whites.

23. What is a vigilante? A. Someone who works for the Police department. B. Someone who tries to enforce the law on their own. C. Someone who hates blacks and wants them to be inferior. D. Someone who protests segregation.

24. Which of the following is NOT a large protest mentioned in the article that fought for the equality of blacks in America? A. Montgomery Bus Boycott B. March on Washington C. Sit-ins D. Birmingham Campaign

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Document-Based Questions: Choose the best answer.

25. Which of the following statements is true of the picture above? A. The two water fountains are clearly separate, but equal.B. Any race could use either water fountain.C. The white water fountain is much nicer than the colored water fountain.D. The colored water fountain is much nicer than the white water fountain.

26. Does this picture uphold the Plessy v. Ferguson court case of “Separate, but equal?” A. YesB. No

27. What is the message of this political cartoon?

A. Blacks had far better facilities during segregation.

B. Whites had far better facilities during segregation.

C. Blacks and whites were allowed to use whatever facilities they desired during segregation.

D. Blacks and whites had separate, but equal facilities during segregation.

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28. What is the purpose of this document?A. To charge a tax of four dollars to blacks to vote.B. To make blacks pass a literacy test before they can vote.C. To charge a poll tax to blacks before they are allowed to vote.D. To make sure citizens are educated before they can vote.

29. How did Louisiana justify this tax?A. Blacks must pay the tax since they are not citizens.B. The tax is supporting public schools.C. They must ensure voters are educated.D. Everyone has to pay the tax to vote.

30.What is the purpose of this document? A. To convince Southerners to support Jim Crow Laws.B. To convince people to oppose integration.C. To convince people to end Jim Crow Laws.D. To justify Jim Crow Laws.

31. How is the young man portrayed in the poster?

A. As an intellectualB. As a jokeC. Inferior to whitesD. Superior to whites

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“JIM CROW” (or “Jump Jim Crow”)Verse 1 Come listen all you galls and boys I’s jist from Tuckyhoe, I’m going to sing a little song, my name’s Jim Crow, Weel about and turn about and do jis so, Eb’ry time I weel about and jump Jim Crow.

Verse 2 Oh I’m a roarer on de fiddle, and down in old Virginny, They say I play de skyentific like Massa Pagannini. Weel about and turn about and do jis so, Eb’ry time I weel about and jump Jim Crow.

Verse 3 I went down to de riber, I didn’t mean to stay, But dere I see so many galls, I couldn’t get away. Weel about and turn about and do jis so, Eb’ry time I weel about and jump Jim Crow.

Verse 4 I git upon a flat boat, I cotch de uncle Sam, But I went to see de place where de kill’d Packenham. Weel about and turn about do jis so, Eb’ry time I weel about and jump Jim Crow.

Verse 5 And den I do to Orleans and feel so full of fight, Dey put me in de Calaboose and keep me dare all night.Weel about and turn about and do jis so, Eb’ry time I weel about and jump Jim Crow.

32. How does the dialect and spelling of words portray blacks? A. IntelligentB. UnintelligentC. WorldlyD. Progressive

33. What is the most likely reason blacks were portrayed in this manner?A. Whites thoughts blacks did not deserve success.B. Whites thought blacks were unsuccessful.C. Whites did not want blacks to become more successful than whites. D. Blacks were more powerful than whites.

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