THE JIM CROW ERA Plessy v. Ferguson, Jim Crow Laws,the KKK and Lynching

Reconstruction Ends Compromise of 1877 –Rutherford B. Hayes over Samuel Tilden (Dem) –Hayes removes federal troops from Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina Democratic Party returns to power in the “Solid South” –Doesn’t change until 1950s, when Dems support Civil Rights legislation

Jim Crow both culturally and legally imposed racial inferiority Jim Crow a minstrel character from 1820s Came to mean any black kept in inferior social status Also refers to laws imposed after Reconstruction to segregate whites & blacks

Jim Crow Laws Case of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) –Famous Supreme Court case upheld Jim Crow laws, racial segregation –Ruled that Louisiana law mandating “separate but equal accommodations” on trains was constitutional –What are the main arguments of the majority opinion? –What are the main arguments in Harlan’s dissent?

Jim Crow Laws After Plessy Decision opened door to segregation across South and beyond Jim Crow laws common until ruled unconstitutional by Supreme Court in Brown v. Board (1954) Note some examples of Jim Crow laws…

Ku Klux Klan

Secret terrorist organization founded in Tennessee in 1865 by Confederate veterans –Started after Civil War to fight Reconstruction in the South Believed in the innate inferiority of blacks –mistrusted and resented the rise of former slaves to an equal status Attacked, murdered, and lynched both freedmen and white Republicans

Intimidated African Americans and their allies –If intimidation didn’t work, they would torture and/or murder these individuals Local chapters (klaverns) became so uncontrollable and violent that the Grand Wizard, former Confederate general Nathan B. Forrest, officially disbanded the Klan in 1869 In 1871, President Grant issued a proclamation calling on members of illegal organizations to disarm and disband (Force Acts)

Second Klan founded in 1915 –expanded rapidly in 1920s – million members (height of membership) –Focused its attack on what it considered to be alien outsiders (Roman Catholic church and all non-Protestants, aliens, liberals, trade unionists, and striking workers - threatening traditional American ways and values) Masked Klansmen burned crosses on hillsides, marched through the streets of many communities, threatening various persons with punishment and warning others to leave town.

1944 KKK disbanded formally when unable to pay back taxes to federal government Civil Rights Movement caused increased interest and membership in Klan –Brown v. Board (1954) –Civil Rights Act of 1964

Lynchings in the U.S , 4,742 Americans were documented as having been lynched; actual numbers are believed to be much higher. –Over 70 percent of the victims were African-Americans. By late 1920s, 95% of lynchings took place in South. Few lynch mob participants ever went to jail. –Police and other eye-witnesses refused to identify lynch mob members, and Southern all-white juries rarely convicted them.

The white mobs who lynched African- American men often justified their actions as a defense of "white womanhood" –the usual reason given for lynching black men was that they had raped white women –lynch mobs' real motive was the determination to keep African-American men economically depressed and politically disenfranchised.

Claimed Causes 41% Felonious Assault 19.2% Rape 6.1% Attempted Rape 4.9% Robbery and Theft 1.8% Insult to White persons 22.7% Misc. or no offense at all 11.5% Trivial Offenses -"disputing with a white man”, “attempting to register to vote", "unpopularity", "testifying against a white man", "asking a white woman in marriage", "peeping in a window"

Rubin Stacey, 1935: Knocked on door of white woman, asked for food (NYT)

Anti-Lynching Crusade Constitution leaves law enforcement up to the states, a movement spearheaded by Ida B. Wells and the NAACP sought to pass anti-lynching laws at the federal level –Southern states unwilling From 1890 to 1960, nearly 200 anti- lynching bills were introduced to the U.S.Congress. The U.S. House of Reps. passed three anti-lynching bills, but all failed in the Senate Left the federal government powerless to intervene and protect Americans from these heinous acts of mob violence. Ida B. Wells (1862 – 1931)

Booker T. Washington ( ) Leader in black education (Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute) Believed the way to achieve economic equality was through education Promoted idea of working with whites to achieve progress – criticized for this

“Put down your bucket where you are” and work for immediate self-improvement rather than long-range social change. - Booker T. Washington He urged blacks to postpone efforts to achieve political equality and concentrate on self- improvement.

W.E.B. DuBois ( ) Demanded racial equality immediately and criticized Booker T. Washington Started a newspaper called The Crisis to report on racial equality issues Founded the NAACP in 1905 –“talented tenth”, exceptional blacks would gain positions of full equality 1963 gave up U.S. citizenship and became a citizen of Ghana

Marcus Garvey ( ) Believed in black nationalism Founded Universal Negro Improvement Association (1914) –Audience: lowest class of blacks, most disenfranchised –Goals: 1) foster worldwide unity among blacks 2) encourage pride in African heritage 3) rejected integration 4) “back to Africa” movement

Moved to New York (1916) Charismatic speaker and published newspaper called “Negro World” –Had millions of followers Misused funds in 1925, jailed, deported and died in obscurity