Jim+Crow+Life

**You and your partner are African Americans who have lived through the era of Jim Crow in America.Using the links provided in this activity, respond to the “oral history questions” in first person. ** 
 * To set the stage for the civil rights movement, you must first understand the environment of segregation in the United States in the first half of the 20th century. What was life like in Jim Crow America? Cut and paste this information into a new page in your Unit 8 Online ISN. **

**Right after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment was ratified. What did the 14th Amendment provide for African Americans? What does “due process” and “equal protection of the laws” mean?** [|14th LINK] The 14th amendment was instated to help civil rights. The amendment gave citizenship to those who were once enslaved. All states had to grant the liberties of citizenship to rightfully born Americans. Due process means that it is not going to come easily as no part of civil rights would, and that one needed to be patient to gain what was rightfully theirs due to the new amendment. Equal Protection of the laws mean that as citizens the men and women would have to abide by the same laws as the rest of America.

**Unfortunately, your equal rights were challenged by the Supreme Court in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. What do you remember about the facts, decision, and impact of this case?** [|Plessy LINK] Homer Plessy was arrested for sitting in the white section on a train. Plessy was neither fully black or white, but was considered black enough to be kicked out of the carriage. You were expected to be "pure bred" to sit near the other whites. Plessy confirmed that he was not white, and the court case escalated into the Supreme Court. It was argued in court that the Separate Car Act violated the 13th and 14th amendments. It was decided that there was allowed to be separate carriages along with common things like bathrooms as long as they are 'equal.'

**The laws developed in the South became known as Jim Crow laws. Who was this Jim Crow fellow?Did he write the laws?**[| Jim Crow LINK] Jim Crow is not a real mam, but a stereotypical black figure. He was developed by the whites to make fun of those who were different from them. Many plays involved stereotypical black characters called Jim Crow. Jim Crow became a term used to describe the poor lifestyle lived by African Americans.


 * What are some specific examples of the Jim Crow laws from southern states? How did the laws affect you?** [|Jim Crow Laws LINK 1] / [|Jim Crow Laws LINK 2] / [|Jim Crow Laws LINK 3]


 * What did Jim Crow America look like in the 1900s? What are some images that can help explain the realities of the time?** __Jim Crow Images LINK 1 __/ [|Jim Crow Images LINK 2]

]] In the Scottsboro Case nine black men were accused of raping two white women. The woman hadn't been raped by the black men, but had gotten very close to some white men who had been thrown off of the train. The white women testified unfairly against the black men, who were convicted at first then slowly released over a period of time. This case of very hurtful to me as it shows that the government is very bias against blacks.
 * What happened in the Scottsboro Case? How did it make you feel as an African American in the South?** <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[[http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_scotts.html|Scottsboro LINK

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**What do some of your friends and family say about life in Jim Crow America? (listen to one or two)**<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[|Audio History LINK 1]