5-3.2 Explain the practice of discrimination and the passage of discriminatory laws in the United States and their impact on the rights of African Americans, including the Jim Crow laws and the ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson.
Jim Crow Laws
Discriminatory laws known as Jim Crow laws were passed by all southern state governments. Like the slave codes of the antebellum period and the Black Codes of the early Reconstruction period, these laws were designed to keep the African American majority under control. Their aim was to maintain white supremacy by keeping the races socially separated and the African American in a position of social inferiority. Segregation had grown in the South since the removal of federal troops at the end of Reconstruction in 1877. Jim Crow laws called for separate facilities for African Americans in schools, neighborhoods, theaters, on trains and everywhere else mandatory. Not just segregation, but systematic disenfranchisement with tools
such as the poll tax, literacy tests, and the grandfather clause. Poll taxes and voting were still seen to be a prerogative of the states based on a Supreme Court ruling in 1876, so states utilized this technique beginning in 1889 with a series of state conventions that ended in 1910 with Oklahoma that rewrote state constitutions with measures that systematically excluded African
Americans from politics. These wrongs were eventfully corrected by the Twenty-fourth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
such as the poll tax, literacy tests, and the grandfather clause. Poll taxes and voting were still seen to be a prerogative of the states based on a Supreme Court ruling in 1876, so states utilized this technique beginning in 1889 with a series of state conventions that ended in 1910 with Oklahoma that rewrote state constitutions with measures that systematically excluded African
Americans from politics. These wrongs were eventfully corrected by the Twenty-fourth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Plessy Vs. Ferguson
Although these laws violated the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson [1896] that separate facilities were legal so long as the facilities were equal. This “separate-but-equal” doctrine validated the Jim Crow laws in the South for the next six decades. The “separate” part of the phrase was enforced while the “equal” part was ignored.Although these laws violated the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson [1896] that separate facilities were legal so long as the facilities were equal. This “separate-but-equal” doctrine validated the Jim Crow
laws in the South for the next six decades. The “separate” part of the phrase was enforced while the “equal” part was ignored.
laws in the South for the next six decades. The “separate” part of the phrase was enforced while the “equal” part was ignored.
.
Poll Tax and Grandfather Clause
A poll tax was imposed that was extremely difficult for poor farmers to pay, especially when it was collected months before the harvest. The other issue with the poll tax, with its average cost of between $1.00 and $1.50, was that it was grossly expensive and often cumulative due to the fact that you had to pay back taxes for the years you could have voted and did not vote. Poor white farmers were allowed to vote because of a ‘grandfather’ clause that said if their grandfather could vote, before 1870, regardless of literacy or tax qualification, then so could they. Most grandfathers of African Americans had not been allowed to vote so neither could
they. By the end of the nineteenth century, few African Americans were able to vote in the
South. Although African Americans protested their exclusion from public life; violence,
intimidation, and lynchings by white terrorists effectively silenced most protests. Although
Northern states did not pass such blatantly discriminatory laws, there was still discrimination
practiced in their society. African Americans lived in racially segregated neighborhoods and
were often the last hired and the first fired from jobs. Although they were able to vote, they had
little political power because of their relatively small numbers until the Great Migration.
they. By the end of the nineteenth century, few African Americans were able to vote in the
South. Although African Americans protested their exclusion from public life; violence,
intimidation, and lynchings by white terrorists effectively silenced most protests. Although
Northern states did not pass such blatantly discriminatory laws, there was still discrimination
practiced in their society. African Americans lived in racially segregated neighborhoods and
were often the last hired and the first fired from jobs. Although they were able to vote, they had
little political power because of their relatively small numbers until the Great Migration.
Blended Learning Model 1: Video Analysis Sheet after watching the following video below.
- View the Discovery Education video clip “Plessy vs. Ferguson and Declaring Separate but Equal” (2 min 26 sec). Analyze the video using the video analysis sheet. (DOK 2-3)
Blended Learning Model 2: Teacher Directed : Close Read, Text Dependent Questions, and Summary
- Read closely KidsInfoBits article “Justice for Scott and Plessy.” Make connections between previous and current learning using the Scott and Plessy text discussion questions in small group And generate discussions. Individually, complete a one-sentence summary in their notebooks. (DOK 1-3)
Blended Learning Model 3: Rosa Parks Close Read and Four Thinking Square
- Read closely ReadWorks.org “Civil Rights on a City Bus.” They will answer questions about the text in small group discussions regarding how Rosa Parks made a difference with Jim Crow Laws. In their small groups, they will complete a Four Square Thinking Cube. (DOK 1-3)
Collaboration Piece: Photo Analysis Sheet
- Analyze the photograph “For the Sunny South.” Analyze the photo using the photo analysis sheet. (DOK 2-3)
Extension Activity: Go get a laptop to complete the following activity.
- USA TESTPREP ACTIVITIES go to blendspace for link****up top
- Complete Compass Odyssey activity #7099 about discrimination of African-Americans. In small groups, discuss how African-Americans were kept from voting. Independently write your own “gist” statement about how this shaped America as a world power. (DOK 1-3)