Jim Crow Laws

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After the end of slavery African Americans were told they were equal, but the Jim Crow laws kept them separate from white people. “Jim Crow system was undergirded by beliefs or rationalizations: whites were superior to blacks in all important ways…”("What Was Jim Crow?"). Jim Crow laws determined how an individual was treated in the areas of social interactions, education and health care. Jim Crow laws were put in place in the United States to keep blacks separated from whites and limit their rights as citizens. Jim Crow was a law of segregation and discrimination that prevented black Americans from equal rights to that of white Americans. The U.S. Supreme Court had a significant role in the creation and eventually, the end of Jim Crow laws. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 made it illegal to segregate schools, public events, transportation units, and juries in the court systems. Segregation and discrimination towards blacks went unpunished by the Court because they argued that the state was not to blame for what was happening. The Supreme Court ruled through a majority vote that equal rights did not mean races had to integrate, which effectively legalized "separate but equal" access for blacks. The Strauder case stated that whites could find ways to legally discriminate against blacks without violating the law. If a black person was accused of a wrong doing, they would not have a jury to assist in the deliberate of a sentence. Discrimination and segregation went unpunished by the court, especially for black people. Social interactions were affected by Jim Crow laws because it kept different races of people separate. The Jim Crow laws stated that white people were superior to black people. Social interaction between races was no... ... middle of paper ... ... university to accept him. Instead, the state was required to pay for the student to go out of state to further his education. This is because the state in which he applied did not have an equal “black only” school for him to attend. This was the beginning of state by state changes to civil right laws and segregation Jim Crow laws determined how an individual was treated in the areas of social interactions, education, and heath care. The treatment of blacks and the US Constitution’s misrepresentation of “equal but separate” under the Jim Crow laws was horrible and unfair. Works Cited “The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.”PBS.PBS, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. "What Was Jim Crow?" What Was Jim Crow. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. "White Only: Jim Crow in America - Separate Is Not Equal." White Only: Jim Crow in America - Separate Is Not Equal. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.

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