Definition, Causes, and Norms of the Jim Crow - Research Paper Example

Jim Crow Jim Crow Introduction The Jim Crow propagated crimes and injustices on people of color especially African Americans. African Americans were seen as inferior and criminals who threatened the existence of the white race. The Jim Crow was characterized by tough anti-black polices or laws and norms. Under the Jim crow, people of color especially African Americans were seen as people who belonged to the lower or second class in society. Definition of the Jim Crow The Jim Crow was the name used to refer to the racial system that existed in the US between 1870s and 1960s especially in border and southern States. The Jim Crow was characterized by tough anti-black polices or laws (Packard 2003, 222). Under the Jim crow, people of color especially African Americans were seen as people who belonged to the lower or second class in society. Causes of the Jim Crow The Jim Crow rallied for implementation of anti-black policies because many theologians and Christians preached that the white people were children of God. They taught that God cursed people of color especially black men to be servants, and due to this, God endorsed racial biasness (Boskin 1976). In addition, craniologists and social thinkers argued that the culture of the black people was inferior and that they were intellectually inferior to the white people. Those politicians who were against social integration believed that the black culture could not mix with the white culture as this could lead to mongrelization of the white race which they perceived to be superior than any other race (Klarman 2006, 211). The media propagated racial segregation in their articles where they referred to black people as darkies, coons, and niggers. Their messages in the articles spread anti-black information and stereotypes. For instance, in schools, white children saw black children as inferior and worthless. Under the Jim Crow, all social institutions such as schools and churches reinforced oppression of the people of color particularly African Americans (Parish 2008, 93-95). The Jim Crow norms The Jim Crow system was based on the following beliefs: Black people were inferior in all aspects of life including morality, intelligence and behavior Sexual intimacy between whites and blacks would result in production of mongrel species or race which would damage America Encouraging egalitarian society would motivate sexual relations between whites and blacks If obligatory, oppression through violence would be applied to suppress the black race and ensure that white people remained at the top of social class (Packard 2003, 65-67). Under the Jim Crow, the following practices and norms depict how pervasive and inclusive racial segregation was: Black people were not allowed to shake hands, eat, or share anything with white people. They were not even allowed to use the same facilities such as toilets. Black people were not allowed to show their affection such as hugging, shaking hands, or kissing to their fellow blacks in public as this offended white people. The Jim Crow rules required that only white people were supposed to introduce blacks to whites and under no circumstance were the black people supposed to be introduced to the whites. Any respectful title in society belonged to the white people and not blacks. Consequences of the Jim Crow The Jim Crow norms worked in combination with the Jim Crow policies. The Jim Crow norms were responsible for black exclusion from significant facilities such as jobs, transport, and schools. The 13th and 15th amendment of the US constitution had given black people same rights and legal protection as white people (Stetson 2011, 188). However, when Rutherford was elected the US president, border and southern States started restricting the freedoms and rights of black people. Even the highest institution in the land, the Supreme Court, reinforced racial segregation with the popular case of Plessy V. Ferguson of 1895 as an example of racial segregation. It showed how the courts were used to undermine constitutional protection of the black race. Violence was used to place African Americans at the bottom of the racial hierarchy. For instance, the Jim Crow use war on drug to discriminate black people whereby, police use brutality to arrest black men on conception that they are drug dealers. This reveals how the criminal justice system in America is racist in trying to connect the dots between earlier forms of social and current system of mass incarceration. There is rebirth of the racial caste system in America in that after slavery collapsed, the criminal justice system mandated to persecute white-collar crimes have concentrated on street crimes especially enforcement of illegal drug laws that target African Americans. The Jim Crow Lynching laws Under the Jim Crow in the US, sexual interaction between white women and black men was prohibited since it was regarded as socially repugnant and was seen as a form of rape. The Jim Crow advocated for lynch laws that endorsed the belief that lynching was significant in order to protect white women from African American men who were seen as rapists (Boskin 1976, 272-3). In addition, lynching was rampant in middle-sized cities where African Americans provided economic competition to white businesspersons. Those who lynched African Americans were not arrested, and if they were arrested, they were not convicted. Lynching usually took place in black communities because whites wanted to inflict as much pain to the black community as they could. They would destroy properties and lives with the motive of driving away African Americans and maintain white power or superiority. White people looted the property of black men and while African Americans who did not run were left without homes. Mass lynching was common in urban centers while lynching of a single victim took place in rural areas. For instance, in 1919, it said that there were mass race riots in twenty-six American cities such as Nebraska, Illinois, North Carolina, and Oklahoma where African Americans were lynched. In Chicago, it is said that thirty people were lynched (Boskin 1976, 282). End of the Jim Crow The Jim Crow ended when Franklin Roosevelt assumed office in that he called for respect of rights by enforcing the bill of rights that aimed to preserve human dignity. This was followed by appointment of new Supreme Court judges who transformed the judicial system in America. These changes made it hard for discrimination to continue as those who were caught propagating hatred were convicted. Conclusion Under the Jim Crow, segregation was rampant in American society, which in turn affected them in that some of African Americans lost their lives. The Jim Crow was guided by Jim Crow norms and etiquettes that aimed to maintain white superiority and domination while making blacks feel that they were an inferior race. The Jim Crow could not function without oppression and violence being used to instill fear and white domination. Bibliography Boskin Joseph. Urban racial violence in the twentieth century (2nd ed.). Beverly Hills, CA: Glencoe Press, 1976. Klarman Michael. From Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Parrish Robert, Ortiz Paul, and Gavins Raymond. Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South. New York, NY: New Press, 2008. Packard Jerrold. American Nightmare: The History of Jim Crow. Boston: St. Martins Griffins, 2003. Stetson Kennedy. Jim Crow Guide to the U.S.A.: The Laws, Customs and Etiquette Governing the Conduct of Nonwhites and Other Minorities as Second-Class Citizens. Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 2011. Read More