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Jim Crow Laws: Who was Jim Crow?
The
name referred to in the Jim Crow Laws was derived from a
very famous and popular minstrel act of the era. The Jim
Crow character is depicted on your right and the picture
is taken from the sheet music of a song called
'Jump
Jim Crow'.
Who was Jim Crow? The African Trickster
Who was Jim Crow? The character of 'Jim Crow' was rooted
in black African culture. Like Kokopelli in Native
American culture, mythical creatures also appeared as
shape-shifting Tricksters in the myths and legends of
the African people. In the Yoruba culture of Nigeria and
West African countries such as Sierra Leone, the
Trickster is depicted as a shape-shifting crow named
"Jim."
Who was Jim Crow? Made World Famous by Thomas D. Rice
The American performer and variety act who made the
character 'Jim Crow' famous was called Thomas D. Rice
(1808 – 1860). Thomas Dartmouth "Daddy" Rice blackened
his skin by applying burnt cork, wore tattered clothes
and performed a song and dance minstrel act. His
minstrel song and dance featuring the song 'Jump Jim
Crow' was a sensation and Rice became famous across
America and in England. The extent of his fame was
reflected in the Boston Post which reported in 1838
that, "the two most popular characters in the world at
the present time are [Queen] Victoria and Jim Crow."
The
Jim Crow Laws for kids
The
name and the character was so famous that it came to be
a derogatory nickname for African Americans and
synonymous with their segregated life.
What was the Purpose of the
Jim Crow Laws
Variations of different Jim Crow Laws were implemented from state to
state but they all had the same aims and goals - the keep black
African Americans segregated from white Americans.
Purpose of Jim Crow Laws Facts for kids: List and Examples of Jim
Crow Laws
Interesting Purpose of Jim Crow Laws facts for kids are detailed below. The history of Jim Crow Laws is told in a factual sequence consisting of
a series of short facts providing a simple method of relating the
history and extensions of the Jim Crow Laws. The Jim Crow Laws
continued to be extended until the 1960's.
The Facts, Purpose, List and examples of the Jim Crow Laws are
detailed below:
Purpose of
Jim Crow Laws Facts for kids: List and Examples of Jim
Crow Laws
Purpose of Jim Crow
Laws Fact 1:
Schools and Education
examples: Prohibit black and white children from
attending the same schools and establishing separate
public schools for black children. Similar laws were
applied to colleges
Purpose of Jim Crow
Laws Fact 2:
Records: Separate
official records of black births, marriages, and deaths
from records of the lives of white people
Purpose of Jim Crow
Laws Fact 3:
Marriage examples:
Prohibiting a person of "pure white blood" from marrying
or engaging in "illicit carnal intercourse" with anyone
with African blood
Purpose of Jim Crow
Laws Fact 4:
Transport examples:
Segregation measures on Steamboats and other forms of
public transport. Railroad companies were required to
maintain separate coaches for black passengers. African
Americans were banned from sleeping cars and parlor
cars. Separate waiting rooms and ticket windows were
also required. Streetcar companies to designate separate
seating areas for black riders. Streetcar companies were
required to designate separate seating areas for black
riders.
Purpose of Jim Crow
Laws Fact 5:
Tests: Attempting to
eliminate the black vote by applying poll taxes literacy
tests, and the "grandfather clause"
Purpose of Jim Crow
Laws Fact 6:
Prison examples:
Segregating black and white prisoners in state
penitentiaries
Purpose of Jim Crow
Laws Fact 7:
Examples of public
places: Segregation in libraries, inns, hotels,
restaurants, bars, hospitals, theaters, circuses, parks,
beaches, restrooms, cemeteries, and wherever whites and
blacks may commingle.
Purpose of Jim Crow
Laws Fact 8:
Examples in Housing:
Laws prohibited homes designated for blacks to be built
in white communities and vice versa.
Purpose of Jim Crow
Laws Fact 9:
Telephones: Telephone
companies were required to maintain separate phone
booths for blacks.
Purpose of Jim Crow
Laws Fact 10:
Boxers: Black boxers
were forbidden from sparring with white boxers
Purpose of Jim Crow
Laws Fact 11:
Example in Sports:
Whites and blacks were restricted from playing pool,
baseball, basketball, football, cards, dominoes,
checkers, or golf together
Purpose of Jim Crow
Laws Fact 12:
Factories and
workplaces were required to maintain separate bathrooms
Purpose of
Jim Crow Laws Facts for kids: List and Examples of Jim
Crow Laws
Jim Crow Laws: Background History to the Jim Crow Laws
The
collective name "Jim Crow Laws" have come to
describe the segregation laws that persisted in the
South following the
Reconstruction Era. During the Reconstruction
period many important laws were passed including:
● The
Civil Rights
Act of 1866 which was intended to protect ex-slaves (Freedmen) from legislation in the
states in the South such as the infamous
Black
Codes.
● The 1866
Civil Rights Act led to the emergence of white
secret societies such as Ku Klux Klan.
Congress
responded to the intimidation practices and
violence perpetrated by the Ku Klux Klan by passing the
Enforcement Acts
● The Enforcement
Acts were passed to guarantee the laws of the Constitution in respect of
the 13th
Amendment of 1865, which abolished
slavery, the
14th Amendment
of 1868 which related to
citizenship rights and the
15th
Amendment of 1870 that
declared the voting rights of of black male citizens
● The
Civil Rights
Act of 1875 was not enforced, and the
Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional in
1883 which gave
constitutional foundation to the Jim Crow Laws
enabling racial bigotry to survive, in the name
of states’ rights, until the 1960s
●
In 1896, as a result of the
Plessy vs. Ferguson
decision,
legal sanction was given to the "Jim Crow"
segregation laws
Jim Crow Laws - Racial Discrimination and
Segregation
For additional facts
about racial discrimination and segregation refer to
detailed information on
Black Segregation
History
and for brief, fast
facts refer to the
Segregation History Timeline.
Our article on
Black Populism
tells the history of the African American farmers in
the South.
Black
History for kids: Important People and Events
For visitors interested in African American History
refer to
Black History - People and Events.
A useful resource for
teachers, kids, schools and colleges undertaking
projects for the Black History Month.
Jim Crow Laws - President Ulysses Grant Video
The article on the Jim Crow Laws provides an overview of one of the Important issues of his presidential term in office. The following
Ulysses Grant video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 18th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1869 to March 4, 1877.
Jim Crow Laws
●
Interesting Facts about Jim Crow Laws for kids and schools
●
Definition of the Jim Crow Laws in US history
●
Facts about the Jim Crow Laws
●
Ulysses Grant Presidency from March 4, 1869 to March 4, 1877
●
Fast, fun, Jim Crow Laws
about Important events in his presidency
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Ulysses Grant
●
Ulysses Grant Presidency and
Jim Crow Laws for schools,
homework, kids and children
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