Jim Crow laws Flashcards
why was de jure segregation suddenly so consistently applied in the 1890s
- support of the supreme court
- white anxiety over the increase of black farmers in the south
- railroad expansion
what was the 1875 civil rights act
prohibited racial discrimination in public places
what was the details of the civil rights cases 1883
Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite and 8 other justices of the supreme court dealt with five cases that dealt with black Americans sueing transportation companies, theatres and hotels that refused them admittance
what did the plaintiffs argue in the civil rights cases 1883
that the discrimination was a denial of the civil rights afforded to them by the 1875 civil rights act
what are the arguments for the constitutionality of 1875 civil rights act
- federal gov argued that it was constitutional as the 13th amendment abolished slavery and also conferred all the rights of free citizens on the former slaves
- 14th amendment gave US congress the power to protect those rights through appropriate legislation
what are the arguments against the constitutionality of 1875 civil rights act
- argued that it overreached the scope of powers given to the Us congress by the 15th and 14th amendment
what was the judgement in the civil rights cases
- supreme court, by a majority, rejected the constitutionality of the 1875 civil rights case
- denied that discrimination by private individuals constituted a ‘badge of servitude’ that would be prohibited by the 13th amendment
how were black people excluded from voting
- literacy tests
- southern states introduced poll tax during reconstruction era
- fraud (mules ate ballot papers from black majority counties in Mississippi)
what was a state constitutional convention
called to rewrite a states constitution with the intention of removing remaining black vote
what did the election laws in 1895 South Carolina propose in the new constitution
- residency requirement for a specific length of time in one county
- proof of voter registration 6 months before election
- a literacy test or proof of land ownership worth more than $300
1890 Mississippi
called a constitutional convention with the sole purpose of excluding black voters
give examples of clauses that were included in the state constitution to make it easier for white people to vote
- ‘good moral character’
- ‘grandfather’ which excused any other qualification any citizen whose lineal antencedent were registered to vote before 1867(when black people couldn’t vote)
case facts of Plessy v Ferguson
- 1890 a Lousiana state law was passed which required that all passenger railways provide seperate cars for blacks and whites
- 1892 Plessy, a mixed race man, sat in a vacant seat in a white only car and was arrested for this
- he was brought to court and argued that the 1890 law violated the equal protection in 14th amendment
what is the equal protection clause in 14th amendment
forbades states from denying to any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the law
what did the supreme court rule against Plessy
that segregation doesn’t violate the 14th amendment
case facts of Williams V Mississippi
- Williams was convicted by an all-white jury in Mississippi as only those who could vote could also serve on the jury
- Mississippi constitution in 1890 adopted the literacy tests and poll tax requirements, dramatically reducing registered black voters which meant blacks were excluded from jury service
ruling of Williams v Mississippi
the court upheld literacy tests and poll taxes designed to disfranchise black people
case facts of Cumming v Board of education
- board levied a tax of $45,000 and the claimants (all ‘people of colour’) alleged that this tax was being used to provide education in schools were non-whites were refused admission
- claimants seeked to impose an injunction on the board but the superior court of Richmond court refused to do so
ruling of Cumming v Board Of Education
Supreme court denied that it had any jurisdiction to interfere in the decisions of a state court
what was the work of Ida B Wells
- sued railroad companies
- wrote anti-lynching articles for black publications
- co-owned memphis free speech
- Wells helped to establish some organisations such as NAACP
what was Booker T Washington views towards de jure segregation
- he was an acommodationist, someone who accepts segregation and makes the most of the economic opportunities through the development of black educational and vocational skills
- he believed that black people should focus on economic success rather than fighting for political and civil rights
what did W.E.B DuBois argue
- argued that Washington had an old attitude of adjustment and submission
- disagrees with Washington over economics as DuBois believed that economic development is unusual
- accuses Washington of accepting the alleged inferiority of black people
