Jim Crow Segregation in Mississippi - Research Paper Example

Jim Crow Segregation in Mississippi The term Jim Crow is associated with a song and a dance done in blackface by Thomas Rice. The song is called “Jump Jim Crow” which is aimed at satirizing the populist policies of Andrew Jackson. Due to Rise’s fame, the phrase Jim Crow meant ‘the Negro’ in 1838 and subsequent naming of segregation laws that were later passed as Jim Crow laws. These segregation laws primarily operated in the southern states and the bordering states, and were very rigid on black Americans. The African-Americans were reduced to second class citizens. The churches claimed the whites were the chosen people and the blacks were cursed to be servants for white people. This implied that God supported segregation. The newspapers referred to blacks as Niggers, darkies, coons and even the articles and games played by children were stereotypic. Violence was used to maintain the blacks at the bottom of the hierarchy. The segregation rules came to ultimate end in 1965 when every individual was allowed full rights. This included voting but after a long tussle and struggle by the rights activists which included the civil war between the federation and the southern states (Kay 210). Essie’s family lived in a shack with two rooms. The shack was not enough for them and the conditions were dilapidating. The parents tried to make it comfortable by decorating it using mismatched wall papers with cardboard pieces stacked in the numberless cracks on the walls. The state of the house was a clear example of the real conditions that the blacks in the southern states like Mississippi lived. The kids stayed alone at home because the parents stayed in the fields working for their white master all day. However, the wages were not even enough to fend the small families. This situation is aggravated by burning of the shack by Ed who was left to look after Essie and her siblings. Thereafter, Mae is blamed for the tragedy and thoroughly beaten (Moody 167). Mae’s father used his free time gambling although it was very difficult. This made him see another mulatto woman thus, a second marriage. Therefore, Mae was left alone to fend for the family. Later, the family decided to move to a house near a swamp. The place had several snakes which occasionally sneaked into the house. Mae’s mother was now working at a cafe for the blacks. She discovered that the place was not safe however; they could not find another cheap place to stay. They were living in such places as a result of poverty. This poverty is aggravated by the fact that the blacks in Mississippi were discriminated in employment opportunities and land ownership. Due to the situation that Mae, Adline and Junior were facing, they yearned to ride bikes just like the other kids. They were segregated and they only had a chance to sit on the trench which indicated the level of poverty that the family had. Raymond builds a house for the family which lacks an indoor plumbing although it had water line. Mae believes that they were entitled to everything which could make them comfortable. This is evident as Mama and Essie Mae goes to the market to buy wallpapers for their new house. They also manage to purchase furniture as Essie proposes that they would buy a white post bed just like the one she had seen at Miss Ola’s place where she worked for an extra coin (Kay 178). Therein, she is reminded by the mother not to ape the whites. Her mother reiterates that she was influenced by the Claiborne family where she spent most of the time working Raymond’s buys an old Mule to use in tilling a rented strip of land. This implied that the family was very poor and could not afford to purchase a young one which was more expensive. The piece of land that Raymond rented was very cheap and unused because he found a grenade which rendered the farm desolate and dangerous. This meant that the family could not afford to buy a piece of land. Furthermore, they could not afford to rent a more productive and safe land. The African-Americans could only access the unproductive pieces of land as the whites took all productive land. As the story unfolds, Essie goes back to school with an old uniform. This is because; she had not saved enough from her menial work at the whites’ home. She does not raise enough money as the young blacks were underpaid. She is forced to go with a tight skirt which exposes her thighs and other body changes as a result of her adolescent age. The boys are delighted with her but she does not enjoy doing this but she has been obliged to do it so as to maintain her old school uniform. It’s very unfortunate that the other girls start emulating her to attract boys. Fortunately, she wins the Homecoming Queen competition in her grade at school. This is influenced by the mode of dressing she embraced which impressed most of the boys. The indictor of a tight and old uniform alludes to the state of poverty in her family (Watson 135). Later, Raymond decides to give up his farming ambitions and heads to California to seek for a job. This is because there were no blacks in Mississippi. However, he comes back after a month because there were no jobs available. In addition, the situation of his family was now worse as Mama was pregnant. The pregnancy had a negative impact as she could not work as hard as she used to do. Therefore, Raymond experiences more problems as he lacked a job dut to skin color and racial discrimination. More so, Moody is mistreated at Mrs. Burke’s home where she worked at part time. This treatment was fostered by the unity among whites who were against the blacks where Mrs. Burkes was a member. This was the period when a young boy from Chicago had been murdered in cold blood because she had whistled at a white girl. The boy had been accustomed to the northern culture that embraced equality among all races. Moody was made to scrub the bathroom floors as the family ate and yet she took part in preparing that food. She was touched by Emmet Till’s death as it showed how the differences between the whites and the blacks were deeply rooted and could lead to death. It is alleged that Mrs. Burke was not moved by the death of Emmet Till but termed it as what should be done to any black who went against the whites (Bracey and Hamer 189). This instills fear in Moody as she was also a black. On the other hand, Anne’s prowess in school is not only in academics but also in music and drama. She composes two performances where one is an African dance where she danced with other seven girls wearing paper bras, crepe-paper skirts and bikini bottoms. The principal stops the performance as he could not witness Niggers perform an inferior culture. This implied that the blacks had an inferior culture. The segregation in Mississippi is evident not only between the white and the Black-Americans but also between the light skinned Africans and other Africans. Furthermore, there is segregation between the rich Africans and the poor Africans who treat each other as enemies. The Tougaloo College is considered as a place for light skinned Africans who are also rich. Anne feels uncomfortable in Tougaloo but she acclimatizes. She late discovers NAACP which champions for a strike where some students are arrested (Beeby). In Canton, Anne learns that the blacks are three times more than the whites. However, the whites have been allocated more land than the blacks. She wonders why the blacks have decided to suffer in silence as they are able to liberate themselves. Later, she learns that the government is the one which allocates land. The government has been featured for supporting segregation due to unfair allocation of land. In addition, Clift is murdered in cold blood but his case is not recognized. Despite the tireless efforts to restore equality, the level of segregation was very high in Mississippi (Austin). Therefore, Jim Crow rules made many blacks in the south to suffer. Moody, has been alluded as an example who felt the ruthless rules of the Jim Crow Rule. The blacks were segregated due to skin color and race. The situation in the south later improved after the bill of rights was passed. Works cited Austin, Curtis. On Violence and Nonviolence: The Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi. February 2002. Web May 2, 2012 Beeby, James. Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody, 1968: A Brief Study Guide. Web May 2, 2012. Bracey, Earnest and Hamer, Fannie. The Life of a Civil Rights Icon. New York: Jefferson, N. C.: McFarland & Co., 2011. Print. Kay, Mills. This Little Light of Mine: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer. New York: Plume, 1993. Print. Moody, Anne. Coming of Age in Mississippi. New York: Delta, 2004. Print. Watson, Bruce. Freedom Summer: The Savage Season that Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy. New York: Viking, 2010. Read More