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AKS 37b - Jim Crow Laws & Disenfranchisement

Last updated 10 months ago
24 questions
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Define the following 3 terms: segregation, integration, disenfranchisement

segregation -

integration -

disenfranchisement -

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What right was given to African American men during Reconstruction?

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According to the video, what happened after Reconstruction?

The Rise of "Jim Crow"

As the end of the 19th century approached, white Democrats instituted a system of segregation that created two worlds—one white and one black. Bourbon Democrats were succeeding in denying African Americans the right to vote. In addition to taking away their political power, they re-established social and economic systems that separated black people from white people and restored white supremacy. These practices were enforced by social customs and, more and more, by law.

In an effort to placate Southerners still bitter from the Civil War, the federal government did little to stop state laws of this sort. African Americans protested with appeals for protections in federal legislation, lawsuits against segregated facilities, pickets, and boycotts (well before the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s). But the most effective form of power in a democracy—the vote—was denied to them.

Georgia’s Constitution of 1877 addressed segregation by requiring separate schools for black children and white children. It was a case in Louisiana, however, that firmly rooted segregation throughout the entire nation. In that state, Bourbon Democrats approved the Separate Car Act in 1890. The law required railroad passengers to be separated by race in passenger cars. It was not the first segregation law in the South, but it was the first segregation law whose constitutionality was tested all the way to the US Supreme Court.
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What did Jim Crow laws establish in society?

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What was the purpose of the Separate Car Act?

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Who enforced Jim Crow laws primarily in the South?

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How did black Americans respond to disenfranchisement?

Homer Plessy’s Challenge


Homer Plessy, a man of mixed race from New Orleans, volunteered to work with civil rights groups to challenge Louisiana’s Separate Car Act. They believed the law was unjust (morally wrong or unfair), and they wanted to test its constitutionality. Plessy boarded a railroad car intended for whites only. When the conductor learned that he was black, he told him to move to the “blacks-only” car. When Plessy refused, he was arrested, tried, and convicted for violating the law.

His case, known as Plessy v. Ferguson, reached the US Supreme Court in 1896. The question in the case was whether Louisiana’s law violated the 14th Amendment, which guaranteed equal protection of the laws to all citizens. The Court ruled against Plessy, stating that laws segregating blacks and whites in public places did not violate the Constitution as long as the facilities were “separate but equal.” This meant that states could legally segregate the races.

“Separate but Equal”

The ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson paved the way for more segregation laws throughout the South. States, towns, and cities passed laws segregating virtually all areas of society. Commonly called Jim Crow laws, they forced blacks to use separate public schools, restrooms, theaters, restaurants, and hotels. If a black person tried to use a white water fountain or walkthrough the front door of a “whites only” restaurant, he or she could be arrested. States followed the “separate” part of the law while ignoring the “equal” part. They made laws that not only separated the races but emphasized white superiority. The facilities offered to blacks were almost always inferior to those for whites.

For the next 50 years, Georgians lived under Jim Crow laws. The General Assembly officially segregated electric streetcars, railroad coaches, trolleys, textile mills, and other facets of public life. The doctrine of “separate but equal” continued to decide racial discrimination cases until it was overturned by the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954.
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What did Homer Plessy challenge in court?

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What was the Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson?

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What did Jim Crow laws enforce?

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What was the reason Homer Plessy was required to sit in the colored car?

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What action did Homer Plessy take that led to his arrest?

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What was the outcome of the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson?

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What doctrine was established by the Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson?

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Describe what you think the main idea of this political cartoon is?

Disenfranchisement

Part of the Bourbon Democrats’ plan to keep control of state government was to remove black voters and many poor white voters from the rolls because they might vote for Republicans (and later Populists). They decided to reduce the number of voters to only those on whom they could count to vote Democratic. Although the 15th Amendment said citizens could not be barred from voting because of race, other states had passed measures to get around that law and eliminate most black voters.

In 1908, Georgia’s Democrats drew up an amendment to the state constitution that disenfranchised black voters. To disenfranchise means to deprive someone of an opportunity, especially the right to vote. According to the amendment, a citizen had to meet the following requirements in order to vote: be a Confederate veteran or a descendant of one, or be able to read or write part of the US or Georgia constitution; own at least 40 acres of land (worth at least $500); and have paid all poll taxes for the past 30 years. One also had to be of “good character.”

Poll Taxes and Literacy Tests

The state constitution already included a poll tax, which required voters to pay a fee before they could vote. The 1908 amendment added another hurdle for African American and poor white citizens. It included a literacy test. Before a man could register to vote, he first had to read and explain part of the state constitution. Many freed people were just learning how to read and write, so the literacy test kept them away from the voting booths. To make matters worse, the people administering the tests were Democrats, and they chose which section of the test to give and decided who passed or failed. If they wanted to, Georgia in the New South they could give easy tests to fellow white Democrats and very different tests to blacks. War veterans and people who owned a certain amount of property were exempt from the tests. However, many poor whites stayed away from the polls because they did not want to admit

The Grandfather Clause

Because these laws might also hurt poor uneducated white voters who voted Democratic, Georgia and other southern states instituted the Grandfather Clause. This loophole made it possible for white voters who could not pass a literacy test or afford a poll tax to vote if their grandfather or father had been registered to vote before 1867. Since most of Georgia’s African American men did not receive the right to vote until 1870, the Grandfather Clause effectively prevented them from voting.
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What was the main goal of the Bourbon Democrats' plan to restrict voting rights?

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What did the 1908 amendment require to vote in Georgia?

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What was the purpose of the Grandfather Clause?

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Who administered the literacy tests in Georgia?

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What were Jim Crow laws primarily designed to do?

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What significant change occurred in 1954 regarding public schools?

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How did Southern states generally respond to the ruling against segregation in the 1954 case?

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Which laws were enacted to suppress African American voting rights after the Civil War?

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What significant event occurred in 2012 regarding Black voter turnout?