Have you ever considered why blacks were segregated from white people? Have you ever seen a person on the street who was treated differently because of their race or color? If so, then Jim Crow Law is to blame. It was one of the laws that enforced racial segregation at the end of the reconstruction in 1865. In what way did Jim Crow Law affect African American’s right to freedom and lack of education?
The term Jim Crow was referred to a male character from an old song by Thomas Dartmouth. Racism appealed to the white people and feared that the blacks were going to take over, they tried many ways to prevent them from doing so.
I chose this topic because it can fit my understanding and easier to earn more knowledge about the topic. The sources I chose were a story of Nobuo Honda’s experience with discrimination ad other 2 primary sources that explain how education was important to black people because it can affect their future job and wages. There are tons of available resources about my topic which also made it easier for me to conduct research. I tried to pick the most reliable and trusted ones. There were a lot of od stories about the period of time, it explains different experiences with different people.
Under the law, African Americans, was "separate but equal" in many public places, such as transportation? I once read this story during my history class in high school, Nobuo Honda, and his encounter with segregation in the south. Honda was new to the United States, when he rode a bus he sat all the way at the back, but when the bus was filling up, the bus driver told him to sit in front, "When I reached the bus driver he pointed to a seat up toward the front and said Soldier you sit here". This shows that back then, African American were separated from the white. They had different rules and regulations and people were divided into racial groups. There never got a higher role than the whites and were treated unfairly. They felt inferior, there was no association or connection between the two groups. It banned the interaction marriage, between the two races. They accepted their lives as it was knowing the issue won't be solved. Therefore, it was Honda's first introduction to Jim Crow Law.
There were signs in different directions for white and black people. For example in this image, we can see a bathroom sign that says whites are on the left ad blacks on the white. Even though they were equal but they were still separate. Both whites and blacks don’t use the same objects or facilities.
Black receive different wages than whites. After analyzing school quality, they discovered the black public schools lacked resources and limited student skills. Having skills is one of the important requirements that is needed for African Americans in order to get a job, and while many of them are still segregated or living in poverty. According to Carruthers and Wanamaker's findings, "Education quality would have been a powerful tool for raising black economic standing in the South," if the blacks were given an opportunity to have a better education, then they would have gotten better jobs and higher wages. Segregation by Jim Crow Law meant that black lacked resources and limited skills, which set the kids at different education levels, that's why black men had limited jobs, In the early days of the Civil War, life for freedmen and women was horrifying.
We are all humans and deserve to be treated equally, whether we are black or white. Many people are still facing discrimination and violence today. Most of them are in suburban areas, where they lack resources, education, and mental health. Spreading awareness about the issue will at least make an impact on the people still suffering from discrimination. It all started with slavery where they were segregated from the whites. There are several personal stories about people's experiences with Jim Crow Law. Understanding the challenge’s color people are facing in early childhood education is the most important aspect of their lives, blacks will continue their education despite their conditions. Jim Crow Law had affected almost all the African American population.
Many people might not know about this issue or they haven’t fully understood it. It’s important to spread awareness and educate people. The risks African Americans took to improve their lives and the violence they have faced. This too many years to improve. However, this is still one of the ongoing issues in this world. Jim Crow Law still has an impact today.
I agree with @Autumn Harrnacker, Honda's story is fascinating and extremely revealing, in that it kind of exposes how structured and all-encompassing segregation was. Honda was forced to choose between the "white" and "black" restrooms and ended up making the "conscious decision" to choose the white one, even though he didn't quite feel like that was right. We also see the bus driver kind of deciding on the racial hierarchy on the bus in real time. 😳 I would love to hear more of your thoughts about Honda's story (or similar ones that expose the day-to-day experiences of Jim Crow) in the unessay!