Jim Crow laws were introduced in the American South in 1868 and segregated African Americans from whites by taking away their basic human rights until the 1960s. The term "Jim Crow" originated from a character created by a white entertainer in the 1830s to demean and imitate enslaved black people. These laws affected all aspects of daily life by enforcing segregated public facilities, transportation, and social interaction. They aimed to confirm white supremacy and prevent social equality by threatening and abusing African Americans. As a result, many blacks moved North to escape this harsh treatment and seek better opportunities.

1. OLD JIM CROW
By: Alexxis Lewis

2. WHERE DID THE TERM JIM CROW COME
FROM?
 Jim Crow was originally a character made up by a white entertainer named Thomas
Dartmouth Rice.
 He made up and preformed a dance and song routine used to imitate and demean
black slaves.
 It is unclear how the name “Jim Crow” became the shorthand for segregated laws.

3. WHAT ARE JIM CROW LAWS?
 Jim crow laws were introduced to the American south in 1868.
 It was a set of laws that took away basic human rights from free African-Americans
 These laws segregated blacks from the rest of America from the 1870s until the 1960s
which made it incredibly difficult for African-Americans to thrive in the south.

4. Examples of Jim Crow Laws
 Jim crow laws affected the everyday lives of African-Americans.
 Riding a train or bus was extremely difficult. Any time a white person would get on, a black
person would have to move to the back of the bus to make room for a white person to sit
down. (in some cities, bus drivers would make blacks pay bus fair then get all the way off the
bus and walk to the back of the bus and go through the colored entrance.)
 There were segregated water fountains (one for blacks and one for whites). White people felt
that If blacks and whites shared public facilities like bathrooms and waiting rooms because it
would be promoting social equality which would lead to the “destruction of America”.
 Blacks were not allowed to offer their hand to a white man because that would mean he
would be implying social equality
 Blacks were always viewed as a threat. Especially black men. A black man could be accused
of rape if he offered his hand or any other body part to a white woman. (perfect example is
Emit Till. He whistled at white woman, was beat to death and thrown in a river.)

5. EXAMPLES CONTINUED…

6. HOW JIM CROW IMPACTED BLACKS
 African-Americans hated Jim Crow laws because it was a way for whites to confirm a
message they had been trying to send for years. That blacks and whites were not equal by
any means.
 Whites looked at blacks animals and slaves. They felt that blacks were only put on this
earth to work.
 Whites would threaten blacks, abuse, question them for being at a certain place, and
even lynch them if they felt they were doing something wrong.
 As a result of this harsh treatment, blacks wanted a better life. One of the only ways to
achieve this was by moving to the north. The north was more accepting of blacks at this
time so they would pack up and rearrange their entire live. (this too was life threatening to
an African American at this time.)