Life+IN+Jim+Crow+America

**You and your partner are African Americans who have lived through the era of Jim Crow in America. Using the links provided in this activity, respond to the “oral history questions” in first person. ** 
 * To set the stage for the civil rights movement, you must first understand the environment of segregation in the United States in the first half of the 20th century. What was life like in Jim Crow America? Cut and paste this information into a new page in your Unit 8 Online ISN. **

**Right after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment was ratified. What did the 14th Amendment provide for African Americans? What does “due process” and “equal protection of the laws” mean?** [|14th LINK] The 14th amendment did many things for us. First, it guaranteed us the right to vote. It didn't matter that we were African American, we were still able to vote. It also guaranteed recently freed slaves American citizenship. Due process and equal protection of laws means that everyone has to follow these laws, even if they don't like it. It is still a law that needs to be followed. Due process is a fair trial. Equal Protection is everyone, no matter what, is to be treated equally.

**Unfortunately, your equal rights were challenged by the Supreme Court in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. What do you remember about the facts, decision, and impact of this case?** [|Plessy LINK] What i remember is that this guy named Homer Plessy was sent to jail because he was black and sat in the "white" car. Even though he was very light skinned and could have easily passed for a white, he deliberately sat there and identified himself as black. The impact of this case was more things being separated by skin color. Also, the separate-but-equal doctrine was more widely spread out.

**The laws developed in the South became known as Jim Crow laws. Who was this Jim Crow fellow? Did he write the laws?**[| Jim Crow LINK] Jim Crow was a character in a play played by Thomas Dartmouth "Daddy" Rice. He thought of this play when he was walking down the street and heard someone singing the song "Jim Crow". So Rice decided to turn it into a play, where he played a stereotypical African American. He didn't write the laws, but they were named after him and this play.

In prisons, our different races were to be kept separate from each other. Also, white and black children were not allowed to be taught in school together. Also on differing transportation methods, the different races were again separated. Most states and cities were following the separate-but-equal doctrine, but the two races were hardly ever equal. These laws affected me because i wasn't able to do what or go where i wanted too. I always had to follow these laws that told me where i could and couldn't go. Also, in many of the states, i was not allowed to marry someone other then my color. It was called miscegenation.
 * What are some specific examples of the Jim Crow laws from southern states? How did the laws affect you?** [|Jim Crow Laws LINK 1] / [|Jim Crow Laws LINK 2] / [|Jim Crow Laws LINK 3]

Jim Crow American looked really segregated and separated. Some images that can help explain this time are different bubblers, schools, restaurants, waiting areas, and hospitals for separate races.
 * What did Jim Crow America look like in the 1900s? What are some images that can help explain the realities of the time?** __Jim Crow Images LINK 1 __/ [|Jim Crow Images LINK 2]

During the Scottsboro Case 9 innocent African American boys were charged with the rape of two white girls. All of them were sentenced to death, besides the youngest who was 12. There were wrongly accused and convicted because they were African American. As an African American living in the south, it made me feel outraged. I felt outraged because i lived in a country that was supposedly all about equality, but my people are being wrongly accused and convicted because of their race.
 * What happened in the Scottsboro Case? How did it make you feel as an African American in the South?** <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[|Scottsboro LINK]

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**What do some of your friends and family say about life in Jim Crow America? (listen to one or two)** <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[|Audio History LINK 1] We say that it is wrong and inhumane. Who are they to day that they are better then us?