Jim Crow Laws

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Jim Crow Laws

The Jim Crow Laws were basically laws that lowered the class of the black population. These strict anti black laws made it legal for white people to practice racists behaviors. For example, whites and blacks could not share common things like a bathroom or water fountain. The Jim Crow laws, in my opinion, were one of the main causes of racism as we know it today. Since it was the law to treat blacks differently, kids grew up thinking this is how im suppose to act. Therefore it became sort of a common way of life. Because of racist discrimination black people didn’t have the same rights as whites and these rights included an equal education.

According to the Jim crow laws of Missouri, Separate free schools shall be established for the education of children of African descent; and it shall be unlawful for any colored child to attend any white school, or any white child to attend a colored school. (examples 1.)Therefore white children and black children were never in the same learning environment. This prevented black students from excelling beyond the whites keeping the social status of the blacks at a lower class. Due to the fact that students and parents who attend private schools look down on those who attend public schools, leads me to believe that discrimination still exists today, just in a different form.

Booker T Washington was born April 5, 1856 in Backcounty Virginia, and became a well known leader in the African American community. He fought for desegregation in the schools and published his autobiography in 1901 called “Up From Slavery.” Booker was awarded a scholar from the Atlanta university. Booker has made a difference in segregation by standing up for what he believed in. In 1900, he founded The National Negro Business League which “ promoted the commercial and financial development of the negro” (national 1) not only did he fight for desegregation in schools, but Booker also wrote and published his autobiography “up...
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