The South Under Jim Crow

The South Under Jim Crow

Introduction

In the first few years following the Civil War, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution promised to build a new nation built upon legal equality for all American citizens. However, such dramatic and idyllic changes came up against incredible challenges and disillusionment. As one Tennessee planter observed, “All the traditions and habits of both races had been suddenly overthrown, and neither knew just what to do, or how to accommodate themselves to the new situation.” While Northern whites and African Americans had high hopes for the new nation, conservative white supremacists found ways to socially and legally deprive southern blacks of their rights through Jim Crow.

Process:

1. Task 1: Click HERE to go to the “What Was Jim Crow?” link

2. Task 2: Click on one of the following links and analyze the various racist caricatures used during the Jim Crow Era:

   • The Coon Caricature

   • The Brute Caricature

   • The Mammy Caricature

   • The Picaninny Caricature

3. Task 3: Click HERE to read the article “How Jim Crow Inspired the Nazis”

4. Task 4: Read the documents from Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois (in your worksheet) and answer the questions