National Museum of American History

Running head: AMERICAN HISTORY
American History
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1AMERICAN HISTORY
Jim Crow was an article in the constitution in America that was the basis of the racial
segregation within the American society. The cultural practices during those times were
completely based on the castes and prejudices. The anti-black laws had also been implemented
during these times. The reasons for legalizing and implementing such discriminatory act will be
discussed in this paper and original reasons for doing so will also be discussed. After the
legalization of this law, African American people were in deep jeopardy.
In the year 1896, the Supreme Court of America finalized to legalize this Jim Crow
Segregation Act in the Plessy v. Ferguson decision. During those times, the term ‘Jim Crow’ had
been used by people to signify the racial segregations properly (Fremon: 34). These anti-black
cultural practices had been completely dissatisfying among the black skinned African Americans
and they were afraid of being left out of the American society. These laws had been implemented
by the people of southern states and these laws continued till the 1960s. It was very evident from
the Jim Crow system that ‘whites only’ and ‘colored’ people would be allowed to use the
restrooms, bus stops, swimming pools, movie theaters, water fountains and other places (Moore:
28)
They were not even allowed in the public schools also. If the black skinned African
Americans violated these rules, they were threatened to be prosecuted violently and taken into
prisons. The purpose of inflicting these laws was to recreate the southern society in the proper
way and keeping their people only (Gilmore: 22). Three reconstruction plans had been
implemented under Johnson, Lincoln and the Congress. It was very commonplace from the
logicl point of view that segregation was illegal within the society. On the contrary, American
southerners wanted to legalize this system so they could gain all the benefits of being white
(Cook, Logan and Parman: 650).