Mrs. Ruland's U.S. History Class Project
Jim Crow Laws
Overview:
Jim Crow Laws were laws located in the Southern states that required the segregation of the races in the majority of people’s daily life. The laws are backed by the idea of the “separate but equal” precedent that was set in the Plessy v. Ferguson case which allowed stated that the separation was constitutional as long as the quality of facilities provided for each race were equal. The vast segregation quickly spread to all aspects of daily life, including school, restaurants, marriage, and transportation, among many others. The Jim Crow Laws separated white and colored people for many years, until the Brown v. Board of Education case ruled that school segregation was unconstitutional. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 followed, which invalidated the majority of the Jim Crow Laws, while the Voting Rights Act of 1965 gave African Americans their right to vote, therefore ending the Jim Crow Laws.
This site gives a detailed definition of Jim Crow Laws.
This web site provided by Ferris State University gives basic background information about Jim Crow Laws. There are numerous examples of the Jim Crow Laws to help the user understand the vast impact on daily life of an African-American.
This web site is an outstanding resource from PBS that provides a plethora of information about Jim Crow Laws. The site has first hand accounts of life during Jim Crow, important information about numerous aspects of Jim Crow Laws, and informative interactive activities for the user.
This site gives a succinct history and valuable facts concerning the Jim Crow Laws. It also includes reactions to the segregation from famous names including Martin Luther King, Ida Wells, and Rosa Parks.
Reconstruction and the Rise of Jim Crow
This essay found on the Gale Student Resource Center provides the user with valuable information about the segregation that began during reconstruction, and the racial problems the escalated over time, leading to the Jim Crow Laws.(Note: This is a password protected database. Please see your media specialist for a password to access this information.)
This web site includes information about the Supreme Court case, Plessy v. Ferguson. This historical case is what set the “separate but equal” precedent that was the main support behind the Jim Crow Laws.
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
This web site has a vast amount of information about the African-American movement for civil rights and the abolishment of racial segregation in American during that time. This article includes information about many landmark Supreme Court cases and public protests, including Brown vs. Board of Education and Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which led to the repeal of the Jim Crow Laws.(Note: This article is from Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia. While it has valuable information, it may be edited by the public.)
Civil Rights Cases in the 1940’s
This article from the Gale Student Resource Center has brief but valuable passages about the Jim Crow Laws and segregation in schools, transpiration, housing, and voting rights. It also includes information about the violence and challenges to the law that resulted from the segregation of the races.(Note: This is a password protected database. Please see your media specialist for a password to access this information.)
Separate Is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education
This web site from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History provides excellent information concerning the great amounts of segregation in the United States during the time of Jim Crow Laws. The web site focuses on segregation in schools, especially the Brown v. Board of Education case, and the fight against the “separate but equal” beliefs of the time.
Fighting “Jim Crow” Laws in the 1910’s
This article from the Gale Student Resource Center focuses on the fight against Jim Crow Laws and racial segregation in the U.S. Some of the passages include facts about the anti-lynching campaign, legal approaches, and riots. (Note: This is a password protected database. Please see your media specialist for a password to access this information.)
This source has information about the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which resolved many racial problems of the time, invalidating the majority of the Jim Crow Laws.
This Wikipedia article gives a great amount of facts concerning the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which got rid of the restrictions on voting rights, giving minority groups, including African-Americans, their right to vote. (Note: This article is from Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia. While it has valuable information, it may be edited by the public.)
By: Julie F
Last updated March 28, 2008
© Marcella Ruland 1998-2008, All rights reserved
