Life under Jim Crow

• The Jim Crow system was strengthened by many irrational beliefs such as: Whites are superior to Blacks in all important ways including intelligence, morality and civilized behavior; White and Blacks breding would produce a mongrel race which would destroy America; Treating Blacks equal would promote inter-racial sexual relations; if needed violence is acceptable to keep Blacks at the bottom of the hierarchy. Here are some examples of what was considered the norm in a life under Jim crow:
• A black male could not offer to shake hands with a white male as it implied being socially equal. Nor to a white female could he offer any part of his body as he was accused of rape.
• White motorists had the right-of-way at all intersections.
• Blacks were not allowed to show public affection as it offended white people.

Jim Crow laws affected every aspect of normality. For example, in Birmingham, Alabama it was made illegal for black people and white people to play checkers or dominoes together.

Jim Crow signs where posted anywhere and everywhere, water fountains, toilets, entrances and exists. The where even separate schools, hospitals, prisons and cemeteries for black and white people.

Homer A Plessy was seven eights white and one eighth black, however was seen as a black person and was arrested, in Louisiana under Jim Crow Laws for sitting in a white only railroad coach. He was trailed and his lawyer augured that u cannot have the right to label one citizen as white and one as black for the purposes of restricting rights and privileges. The court upheld the law saying that racial segregation did not mean there was no equality. The Plessy case proved that there was a  segregation, with white being an advantage and black being a disadvantage. It sent the message to Southern states that discrimination against blacks is acceptable.

        Jim Crow laws were the basis of violence and crime. Any Black person that violated the law, e.g. Sat in the white side of a bar, risked their homes, job and even lives, it also put their family in danger. White people where allowed to beat black people and there were no consequences because the police, prosecutors, judges, juries and prison officers were all white, this gave a method of social control.

 The most extreme forms of Jim Crow violence were lynchings. Lynchings are extreme, even sadistic forms of violence performed in public, these violent acts were performed on black men and women and included, burning at the stake, beaten to death, hung, shot, castrated or dismembered.

Many white people said that although lynchings were distasteful they were necessary to sustain social order and to help the criminal justice system prevent crime, especially  rape against white women by black men.  

        Life under Jim Crow stated any sexually physical interaction between black  men and white women was illegal, this can be read in the book, “To Kill A Mocking Bird”, any type of this interaction can be classed as rape under the Jim Crow laws and therefore lynching coming back into place.

Mass lynchings claimed many lives, with a  killing spree of the black community. The police force supported the attackers in these riots because it was rumors of white attacking black that fueled the riots.

In the late 70's “The Black and White Minstrel Show” that personified Jim Crow laws was cut off, however by then a demonic cult calling themselves the Ku Klux Klan had already formed basing many of their crimes on defiance of the Jim Crow Laws.

        The Ku Klux Klan or “KKK” was formed in   1866 by veterans of the confederate army, their main purpose was to reconstruct society, it focused on intimidating and putting down freed slaves. The “KKK” soon turned to violent acts, however the group was shut down by President Ulysses S. Grant under the Civil Rights Act of 1871.

In 1915, a second group was established using the same name. It preached racism, anti-catholicism, anti-communism and antisemitism. The film “Mississippi Burning” shows this very well.  

        Overall life under Jim Crow was not very fair, it segregated black from white and caused great conflict and racism. It was a very unfortunate law and a very stupid law that was not needed and without it much more social harmony may have been predicted. It also led to the Ku Klux Klan that believe white are superior to black when skin color is not the issue the way somebody acts is and the person they are.