Jim Crow Law Research Paper

Vann Woodward discusses the downfall of the Jim Crow Laws. In 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education case ruled that segregation of public schools was unlawful. Woodward notes in his book that “the court’s decision of 17 May was the most momentous and far-reaching of the century in civil rights. It reversed a constitutional trend started long before Plessy v. Ferguson, and it marked the beginning of the end of Jim Crow.” Implementation was something new to everyone.

Jim Crow Laws The Jim crow laws are laws that makes it so that the white and the blacks are separate from each other. One reason why i know it keeps the blacks and the whites separate is because in the springboard book on pg. 179 it says “ the schools for the white children and the negro children shall be conducted separately”.

Before the decision is discussed, the background for the case must be explained. “In the 1950’s, Linda Brown was a young African American girl in Kansas who had to walk through a railroad switchyard to get to school. There was a school much closer to her house, but she could not go there because it was an all white school. (Background Summary)” This was a very effective motivator for Mr. Brown, as he felt that his child was being discriminated against and put in danger because she was forced to go to a specific school.

The Brown v. Board of Education was a monumental decision as it expressed that “separate but unequal” from Plessy v. Ferguson was inherently unequal, meaning it was unconstitutional. The decision overturned Plessy v. Ferguson as it stated that racial segregation of public education violated the Fourteenth Amendment. Oliver Brown was a parent of a child that was rejected from Topeka’s white schools and Brown took this injustice to court. With the leadership of Chief Justice Earl Warren, a unanimous decision was ruled to desegregate the public education system. The ruling led to mixed reactions in the nation, as the South was appalled by the decision and attempted to stop the decision from being carried out.

One of the Jim Crow laws states that “A black male could not offer any part of his body to a White woman because he risked being accused of rape”(a). Tom Robinson would know of this rule and would not even shake hands with Mayella, let alone kiss her. He would know that if anyone saw him going into her house he could be accused of rape. However, if he didn’t enter her house when she asked, he would be accused of not showing “superiority to blacks in all important ways”, another Jim Crow law. Since, Tom knows of these rules he makes the decision to enter her house and show respect, but when he see’s Mr. Ewell approaching her house he runs in fear of being accused of rape.

Jim Crow law passed in the late 19th century, kept African Americans, former slaves and their descendants in subordinate positions. The Jim Crow law, in essence, wanted African Americans to know their place and stay in it. The law gave White people the ultimate authority over their well being and lives. The European Jews experienced the same injustices. The most tragic being the Holocaust.

In the 1950s in Topeka, Kansas, Linda Brown, a young African-American girl, had to walk many blocks through dangerous railroad tracks to receive an education. Linda lived much closer to another school, but Linda was not allowed to attend that school because schools were segregated during that time. When her father, Oliver Brown, tried to enroll her in the local school, the school refused to admit Linda. Her white neighborhood friends had the convenience of locality, but she did not because of the fact that she was African-American. The Brown v. Board of Education is a justified Supreme Court case because every person deserves the right to an education and the color of one’s skin should not prevent that.

Plaintiff Oliver Brown parent of one of the children (Lynda Brown) was denied entry into the school. Brown brought this up because Brown claimed her rights were violated (The 14th Amendment) because the white school and the school she currently attended were not equal. And no matter what was implied the schools would never be equal. The court dismissed this statement saying the schools were equal in Topeka. Saying the buildings were almost the same and teachers

The Brown v. Board of Education decision passed in 1954 was a significant and historic case that made history for African Americans. According to Mark Rathbone the Brown V Board ruling “was the catalyst for the massive expansion of the civil rights movement which took place in the 1950s and 60s”. (Rothbone, 2004). Sanders indicates how Earl Warren believed that the “the Supreme Court unanimity would help persuade the nation to accept the principle and practice of integrated schools”. (Sanders V. , 2019, p. 102).

The original Jim Crow Laws were a bunch of state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Jim Crow Laws was more than just a series of anti-black laws. It was a way of life. The Jim Crow System was under girded by the following beliefs or rationalizations that whites were superior to blacks in all the important ways such as intelligence, civilized behavior and morality. I can understand why she believes that mass incarceration is the New Jim Crow because all felonies once they get out are completely discriminated by society.

Brown v. Board of Education was a consolidated case that was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court in 1954, which faced the question, “Does the segregation of public education based solely on race violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?” that declared that “separate but equal educational facilities for racial minorities are inherently unequal violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment” (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1)). This essay will thoroughly cover the background and context of this case, the arguments presented on both sides, contemporary and legal reactions to the case, the impact of the decision, and its current relevance. The case originated in Topeka, Kansas

The fact that the Jim Crow laws are based on bad reasoning is what stands out to me the most. First of all, all the laws are based on the belief that African Americans were inferior to the whites. Racial pride is fine, but it’s really stupid when laws are made based purely on pride. For example, one law states that “books should not be interchanged between schools of white and color.” What kind of law is that !?

Patience, teaching, and receiving an education myself is key to this goal. I must be living proof of the success of African Americans and use to success to teach my children and everyone around me who is ignorant of what the racial issues in America are. I cannot be silent because that reflects complacency in America’s current state. To make myself known, is to make known the greatness and struggle within every unheard voice of

The case study on the Jim Crow Law document (527-530) provides important historical context to just how bad segregation was and how the rights of both the common and the colored were stagnated. In my opinion it shows the lowest point of American morality during a time of great prosperity because it directly contradicted with the principle, “All Men are created Equal” through the use of conformity. The only way to change a morally wrong way of life is to rebel against it. Laws are created to protect and serve the people that it was created for, however when it comes to the question, “Should we obey laws that are morally wrong?” , it becomes a more complex issue.

Since the late 1950s, when the case for African American rights to receive the same education as their graduates began and ended, or so we thought. Schools today still remain widely segregated throughout the U.S. nation. In 1954 in Topeka, Kansas, the supreme court began to review many cases dealing with segregation in public education. Oliver Brown was one who went against the supreme court for not only his daughter, but for many other African American children to receive equal education in the ray of society. The Brown v. Board of Education case marked the end of racial discrimination in public schools which impacted African Americans to get an equal education in the American society.