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Jim Crow Era

Definition

The Jim Crow Era refers to a period in American history (roughly late 19th century until mid-20th century) characterized by legalized racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans. It included laws enforcing separate facilities for different races such as schools, transportation, restrooms, and housing.

Analogy

Think of a movie theater with two sections divided by a curtain - one section has comfortable seats, high-quality screens, and excellent sound systems while the other section has uncomfortable chairs, poor picture quality, and muffled audio. The curtain represents the legal segregation between white people (privileged section) and African Americans (inferior section).

Related terms

Plessy v. Ferguson: Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark Supreme Court case that established the 'separate but equal' doctrine, which allowed for racial segregation as long as facilities were deemed equal.

Black Codes: Black codes were laws enacted in Southern states during the Reconstruction era to restrict the rights and freedoms of African Americans and maintain white supremacy.

Ku Klux Klan (KKK): The Ku Klux Klan was an extremist organization formed during the Reconstruction period that promoted racial violence, intimidation, and terrorism against African Americans.