Impacts of Jim Crow

• When was the abolition of slavery in the United States enacted?


  1865
• What amendment to the US Constitution abolished slavery?

  The 13th amendment
• What did the 14th amendment aim to achieve for US citizens?


  It aimed to grant equality before the law to all US citizens
• What right did the 15th amendment guarantee?


  The right to vote
• What was the purpose of the Civil Rights Act of 1875?


  To prevent discrimination in public places
• What areas did the Civil Rights Act of 1875 not apply to?


  Education and churches
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Thirteenth Amendment?


  Advantages:

  • Ended poor working conditions for African Americans

  
  

  Disadvantages:

  • Did not eliminate racial discrimination
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Fourteenth Amendment?


  Advantages:

  • Provided better protection against discrimination

  
  

  Disadvantages:

  • Allowed states to interpret rights differently, leading to suppression of African Americans
• What are the general advantages and disadvantages of the amendments following the abolition of slavery?


  Advantages:

  • Right to travel and work
  • Legal rights as equal citizens

  
  

  Disadvantages:

  • Traditional attitudes of inferiority
  • Violence from groups like the KKK
• Why were the changes in the amendments not effective?


  Enforcement depended on state governments
• What did the 1872 Amnesty Act affect?


  It affected the enforcement of civil rights
• What was the role of the Supreme Court regarding African American freedoms?


  The Supreme Court did little to guarantee their freedoms
• What did the 'Slaughterhouse' cases of 1873 demonstrate?


  The court would only intervene in federal issues
• What did the 'Cruikshank' case in 1875 establish about the 14th amendment?


  It only applied to civil rights abuses from state governments
• What was the outcome of the 'Reese' case of 1876?


  The Supreme Court was unwilling to intervene in voting rights
• Why was Reconstruction considered a failure?


  • Dependent on federal government support
  • Economic problems led to a halt in reconstruction efforts
  • Segregation systems emerged
• What were the Jim Crow Laws?


  • Laws creating legal separation between races
  • Predominantly passed in Southern states
• What was the origin of the name "Jim Crow Laws"?


  It was named after a song mocking African Americans
• What aspects of life did the Jim Crow Laws cover?


  • Rail carriages
  • Amenities and education
  • Public transport and restaurants
• What principle was established by the Supreme Court in the Plessey v. Ferguson case?


  The principle of 'separate but equal'
• What year did the Supreme Court rule on the Plessey v. Ferguson case?


  1896
• What did the 'Cumming v. Board of Education' case extend?


  It extended the 'separate but equal' principle to education
• What methods were used to disenfranchise African Americans in the 1890s?

  • Poll taxes
  • Literacy tests
  • Grandfather clauses
• Why were poll taxes and literacy tests deemed legal?


  Because the 15th Amendment did not forbid discrimination based on literacy or wealth
• What was the impact of disenfranchisement on African Americans' political representation?


  It prevented a new generation of political leaders from emerging
• How did disenfranchisement reinforce images of African American inferiority?


  It led to acceptance of the situation as 'better than slavery'
• What role did violence play in limiting African American equality?


  It was used to intimidate and suppress African Americans
• What group developed out of the remnants of the Confederate Army?


  The Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
• What was the significance of lynching in the context of racial violence?


  Lynching served to intimidate and maintain white dominance
• How many African Americans were lynched between 1882 and 1930?


  Approximately 2,805
• What was the public perception of lynching during this period?


  It was often portrayed as a defense against African American assaults
• What were the socio-economic conditions for African Americans by 1900?


  They faced poverty, violence, and racial segregation
• What percentage of African Americans lived in the South by 1900?


  About 85%
• What was the economic situation for many African Americans during this time?


  Many worked as sharecroppers with low wages
• What evidence suggests that African American living standards improved after slavery?


  Some improvements in living standards and reduction in mortality rates
• By 1910, what percentage of African American farmers owned their own land?

  About 20%
• What contributed to the increase in African American business ownership between 1880 and 1900?


  Discrimination from white-owned companies
• What role did education play in improving African American conditions?


  Increased attendance in schools and investment in universities
• What were the reasons for the failure of Reconstruction?


  • Waning support from the Republican party
  • Association of white supremacy with American Nationalism
  • Lack of Supreme Court intervention
  • Federal Government focus on other issues
  • Belief in segregation as a means of protection