Throughout the history of America, racism has been a chronic issue. Whether it be through
slavery or through segregation, racism has always been a consistent ideology present in our society. One
of the most harsh periods of racism is known as the Jim Crow Era. The Jim Crow Era is the time period
where racist laws were reinforced by the Jim Crow Laws. In 1838, the Southern States passed various
laws of racial segregation, focused against the Black sectors. These laws are known as the Jim Crow
Laws. Dictionaries define ‘Jim Crow’ as the name for an implement that can straighten or bend iron rails;
or, along with ‘Jim Crowism’, systems or practices of racial discrimination or segregation. The name
only emerged in dictionaries in 1904, 28 years after it was officially created. The origin of Jim Crow goes
back to the 1820’s and is credited to a songanddance man, Thomas Dartmouth ‘Daddy’ Rice. In 1828,
Rice was the first man to blacken his face, dress as a plantation slave and perform such a routine, using
his own compositions. His derogatory Jim Crow versus helped deepen the gulf between Black and White
communities, reinforcing the racial barrier present during this time. This act was later adapted by many
comedians and singers throughout the country. Many cities and states were able to impose legal
punishments on people. These conditions include getting payed below the minimum wage, imprisoned for
little to no reason, forceful labor, segregated workspaces/public areas, bad education, and much more just
like that. For example, those who were deemed to be consorting with or marrying with other races could
be punished by death or imprisonment. In White hospitals, only white nurses could tend White patients,
and vice versa. There were different sectors for Whites and Blacks: trains, buses, restaurants, schools, ...
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