tkam2-9

Research Log
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Speaker: Quinn
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**Plessy Vs. Ferguson (1896)**
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This case was a very influential case in the midst of the Civil Rights movement. In this case, the Supreme Court took a closer look at the Louisiana law prohibiting mixture of races in train cars. Plessy was a one-eighth black man who boarded a whites only box car and was punished in Court by Ferguson, a judge. He complained that the Louisiana law that he was punished for breaking was unconstitutional, breaking both the 13th and 14th amendments. The Supreme court decided that the 14th amendment protected equality for races politically, however not socially, therefore the Louisiana law was not unconstitutional. It was not a unanimous decision. That court case made it okay with the constitution for segregation to exist, therefore allowing segregation to become more and more normal and socially acceptable. I think the Supreme Court should not have decided what they did, however I'm glad segregation isn't as big of a problem today as it was. Return to Webquest

The Origin of "Jim Crow"
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February 1843- Impressions of African American culture became a popular source of entertainment 1800s- Jim Crow laws were passed by southern legislators, the name came from the minstrel dances named above. They were passed in an effort to try to limit the freedoms of the newly freed African Americans after Reconstruction 1883- The Supreme Court found Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional, limited anti-discriminatory powers of 14th amendment 1914- All southern states had laws to separate the lives of the whites and the African Americans 1915- Supreme court began to intervene Jim Crow laws 1954- Brown vs. Board of Education, Supreme Court found segregation in schools unconstitutional I was surprised that the Supreme Court, at least until 1915, was so okay with segregation.

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Intermarriage Laws in Mississippi
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I thought it was interesting how the government tried to say who could get married to each other and who couldn't. If they had those rules in place now there would be quite a riot, because many people think that the government can't tell you who you're allowed to love and marry. It realtes to today in that there is a gay rights struggle as the government is trying to control marriage laws even today. It's crazy that the government of Mississippi tried to prohibit marriages bewteen two different races. I wonder if intermarriage still existed during that time, despite this law.

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The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: W.E.B Du Bois
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W.E.B Du Bois He was born during president Andrew Johnson's presidency, between 1865-1869 He was born and raised in Massachusetts Du Bois became the first influential scholar of black culture in America. He was a leader in the Black community and pushed for equal rights. He emphasized higher education for African Americans and became a very influential teacher and spokesperson. Later in life, Du Bois, fed up with the United States government, joined the communist party and moved to Ghana I think Du Bois was a very influential person in the civil rights movement and I'm surprised I have never heard of him before, until this.

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The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: Nobuo Honda
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Nobuo Honda 1927 Lanai, Hawaii He believed segregation and discrimination were wrong and had to deal with it in Hawaii and in the south, Nobuo Honda was not a segregation leader, and therefore his major accomplishments were not listed. When he visited the south he had to decide which bathrooms and water fountains to use, but because he was neither "black" nor "white", he didn't know in which category he belonged. I think that it's neat to hear about the Jim Crow laws from someone who is neither black nor white to get a feel for what the Jim Crow laws really were. I found it interesting that segregation also existed in Hawaii because of race.

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East St. Louis Race Riot, Missouri
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May 28th, 1917 Tension occurred when black Americans were hired to replace white workers who had gone on strike. Violence followed a city council meeting and a rumor spread about a white man being robbed by an armed African American. No punishments were given to the people of the riot, and no precautions were put in place to prevent such a thing from happening again. After the original riot, many other riots happened in East St. Louis, where African American people were killed and their houses burned. I am very frustrated that these murderers were not prosecuted.

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**Photographs of Signs Enforcing Racial Discrimination**
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1. In this picture I see a sign that reads "colored waiting room" that appears the be attached to a building. 2. This picture was made by the owner of the waiting room (?) and shows how powerful Jim Crow laws were during the south. Practically everything was separated by race as an almost psychological torment to the African Americans, as they were treated as second class citizens. 3. If this picture was captioned it would say something like "Discrimination in America because of Race". I like this picture, because it shows you how real it was. It's okay to hear all the facts, but seeing the picture makes it much more real for me.

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