Jim Crow Last Flashcards
(31 cards)
How were black Americans benefitted during Reconstruction from what we already know?
- 13th Amendment provided freedom by ending slavery
- 14th Amendment provided black Americans citizenship
- 15th Amendment provided black Americanz with enfranchisement
How did white Americans begin to target black progress?
- Through the use of violence under the KKK and lynching
- Focussing on segregating white and black people after the Civil War.
Why were the Supreme Court sympathetic to white states in the south?
- They believed in states’ rights
- They believed that southern states should determine their race relations
When and what was the Slaughter House Cases of 1873?
- Cases which saw the Supreme Court declare that the 14th Amendment wasn’t designed to remove power from the individual states of America.
How did the Slaughter House cases benefit white Americans?
- The Slaughter House cases meant that southerners could use their authority of their states to deprive black Americans individually.
What were the 1883 Supreme Court cases?
- Cases that investigated black Americans being segregated in different public settings
- The 1883 cases determined that the Civil Rights Act of 1875 was unconstitutional because the Amendment wasn’t specific regarding private individuals discriminating black Americans (de facto)
What was the impact of the 1883 cases?
- White people were unmoved by the loss of black civil rights.
- Black American rights could be eroded
- Jim Crow
- Some claimed it was a contradictions of the 13th Amendment
How much did the proportion of black farm owners increase between 1880 and 1900?
- Increased from 3.8% in 1880 to 25% by 1900
Why were Jim Crow laws able to sustain?
- Federal Government lost interest in black American civil rights
- Supreme Court was sympathetic to white Southerners and their rights.
What did the Florida state law demonstrate regarding railroad cars in 1887?
- De jure segregation on railroad cars
In what 5 methods did southern states use to discriminate black Americans?
- Violence against black voters. (Red Shirts intimidated black Americans not to vote (Plus the KKK lynched 1000 in 1900)
- Poll taxing against black Americans, who were the poorest in southern society, made it more difficult for them to vote.
- Grandfather clause allowed white Americans to vote as they had grandparents who had voted whilst freed black Americans didn’t have grandparents that could vote due to slavery.
- White primaries excluded black Americans from taking part in their Democratic election
- Literacy tests aimed to unfairly give black Americans hard tests on unnecessary topics such as the State Constitution in order to vote.
How much did the number of black voters in Mississippi fall by in the space of 2 years?
190,000 to 8000 roughly
How many black voters in 1896 Louisiana vs 1898 Louisiana?
130,334 black voters vs 1,400 black voters (2 years between)
What happened during Plessy vs Ferguson (1896)
- ‘Separate but equal’ doctrine was established because discrimination on public transport was not against the 14th Amendment as legislation never mentioned racial instincts.
- “If one race be inferior to the other socially, the Constitution of the United States cannot put them upon the same plane.”
What was the impact of Plessy Vs Ferguson on black Americans?
- Despite being ‘equal’ this just wasn’t the case, exemplified by southern states spending 10 times more on white schools than black schools.
What did the Supreme Court state about Mississippi vs Williams?
- Court case in 1898
– Supreme Court said Mississippi voting laws weren’t discriminatory because of the fact the 15th Amendment hadn’t prevented poll taxes and literacy tests from being included.
Negative impact of Mississippi vs Williams on black Americans
1) Supreme Court didn’t uphold the 15th Amendment
2) Ruling reflected that white Americans believed black Americans were unfit to vote
3) Skilful southern White discrimination of the law through instrumental initiatives.
4) Confirmed segregation and discrimination
When was Cumming v Board of Education and what were the aims and the outcome?
- 1899
- Aims were to challenge continued funding for white high school but not for black high school
- Supreme Court justified the Richmond Board of Education because the 14th Amendment failed to mention discrimination under the guise of local discretion and budget limitations.
3 impacts of Cumming vs Booard (1899)
- Supreme Court approved segregation in schools
- Ruling reflected the white view that black Americans only required a limited education
- South was able to ignore the Reconstruction-era civil rights legislation and constitutional amendments
What was the role of Black activists in challenging legal segregation (1883–1900)?
They filed court cases like Plessy v. Ferguson to test and resist segregation laws using the 14th Amendment.
What did Homer Plessy do?
He deliberately violated segregation laws to challenge ‘separate but equal’ in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).
How did Booker T. Washington promote Black advancement?
He emphasized industrial education, self-help, and economic uplift through institutions like Tuskegee Institute.
What was the Afro-American League?
An early civil rights group (founded 1890) that fought for voting rights and against racial discrimination.
