How Did Jim Crow Laws Cause Racial Discrimination In The United States?

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As people were living in the United States, many blacks had to face discrimination. The Jim Crow Laws enforced discrimination and were established in the 1880's. These laws supported segregation, treated blacks harshly, and prevented equality between whites and blacks. The Jim Crow Laws were expected to be obeyed by everyone even if it limited freedom for blacks.
During the late 19th and early 20th century, Jim Crow Laws segregated whites and blacks. For example, the laws stated that whites introduced blacks, never black to white. When a black and white man met for the first time, they could not shake hands because it implied being “socially equal.” However, if a black man were to offer to shake hands with a white woman, he was at risk of …show more content…
For modes of transportation, if a black and white person were in a car , the black had to sit in the backseat or trunk (Pilgrim.) If a black person owned a car, it was always at risk of being vandalized or destroyed (Fremon 22.) In 1890, Louisiana was the first state to divide streetcars among black and whites. Blacks also weren’t allowed to show affection in public because it “offended” whites. A black man could also not light the cigarette of a white woman because it implied intimacy (Pilgrim.) By 1908, states banned the marriage of a white and black (Brown.) Although the laws were already limiting blacks, whites still tried to “keep them in their place.” They would often cheat them of their salaries and harass them. They justified their actions by stating that since they were white, “they knew better” (Fremon 23.) Many scientists theorized that blacks were “innately intelligent” and “culturally inferior” to whites. Christian ministers also believed that whites were “chosen people” while blacks were “cursed to be servants.” Also, if a black was in trial against a white then they would most likely be facing death or life in prison. While the white would have either no …show more content…
In the 1820’s an entertainer by the name of Thomas Rice needed an act for his show. He saw an elderly black man dancing on the street and decided to mock him, but while singing a song called "Jump Jim Crow," in which he created. It’s said that the black man he saw dancing was named Jim Crow and that's how he created his title (Fremon 18.) During his act, he used charcoal paste to get his face black and wore poor, torn up clothing while dancing absurdly (Steverson.) Due to his audience mostly being white, his act was a huge success. By the late 1800's, the term “Jim Crow” was in everyone’s vocabulary and was used to refer to
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