Segregation within southern society was a way of life, layers upon layers of ignorance, supremacy and stubbornness encrusted the white southern attitude towards the African-American proportion of the population. It is crucial however to consider the process of segregation before there is an attempt to determine the events that lead to the dismantling of it. It is then of particular significance that segregation is defined in order to resolve how it was built and what events took place to demolish it. Segregation in itself, contains many characteristics that lead to its wider appearance. Many circumstances were highly significant in the dismantling of the legalized segregation, that was deeply rooted in the twentieth century south. Segregation was the enforced separation of different racial groups within southern society, however during the twentieth century the gusts of change where blowing throughout the South. To investigate how the transformation of segregation in the American south happened, it is important to define the process of segregation during the years 1865-1950s. In doing so, we can then understand why it was important for the welfare of the South as a whole, to give up the deeply implanted attitude that was linked to the separate white and black spheres. Southern culture as a whole, was protected by their own embedded culture of segregation. Old ways of thinking were stubbornly embroiled in southern culture, this is particularly shown in 1963 when asked about segregation and the civil rights movement, the Atlanta resident A.Y chancellor remarked that supporters of the movement were completely delusional. “Are you so foolish as to think that you can undo, overnight, custom and society which has prevailed for these... ... middle of paper ... ...outhern culture. Bibliography Secondary readings Ayers, E. L., Southern Crossing: A history of the American south 1877-1906 (Oxford, 1998) p. 157-181 Sklaroff, L. R., Constructing G.I Joe Louis: Cultural Soloutions to the “negro problem” during world war II Nasstrom, K. L., Beginning and endings: life stories and the periodization of the civil rights movement in Journal of American History Sokol, J., There goes my everything: white southerners in the age of civil rights, 1945-1975 (USA, 2006) p. William Harris, “Etiquette, Lynching and Racial Boundaries in Southern History: A Mississippi Example,” in American Historical Review 100:2 (Apr. 1995): 387-410. JSTOR Internet Sources Shepard & B. Stonaker, ‘Segregation’ (www.kawvalley.k12.ks.us/brown_v_board/segregation.htm) (19 Mar. 2011). Films All the King’s Men (1949) February One (2003)
Making Whiteness: the culture of segregation in the south, 1890-1940 is the work of Grace Elizabeth Hale. In her work, she explains the culture of the time between 1890 and 1940. In her book she unravels how the creation of the ‘whiteness’ of white Southerners created the ‘blackness’ identity of southern African Americans. At first read it is difficult to comprehend her use of the term ‘whiteness’, but upon completion of reading her work, notes included, makes sense. She states that racial identities today have been shaped by segregation, “...the Civil War not only freed the slaves, it freed American racism
McMillen begins by tracing the roots of segregation in Mississippi beginning with common law and later evolving into state sponsored apartheid with the Plessey v. Ferguson decision and the new state constitution of 1890. The need for separation between the races arose out of feelings of “negrophobia” that overcame the white citizens of the South during the period of Jim Crow. Negrophobia was an overwhelming fear by white males in the South that if the races were in close proximity of each other the savage black men would insult the heavenly virtues of Southern white women. As a result black boys in Mississippi learned at an early age that even smiling at a white woman could prove dangerous. Although segregation was vehemently opposed by Black leaders when it was first instituted, by the 1890’s leaders such as Booker T. Washington began to emphasize self-help over social equality. The fact that Mississippi’s institutions were segregated lead to them being inherently unequal, and without a...
Assumptions from the beginning, presumed the Jim Crow laws went hand in hand with slavery. Slavery, though, contained an intimacy between the races that the Jim Crow South did not possess. Woodward used another historian’s quote to illustrate the familiarity of blacks and whites in the South during slavery, “In every city in Dixie,’ writes Wade, ‘blacks and whites lived side by side, sharing the same premises if not equal facilities and living constantly in each other’s presence.” (14) Slavery brought about horrible consequences for blacks, but also showed a white tolerance towards blacks. Woodward explained the effect created from the proximity between white owners and slaves was, “an overlapping of freedom and bondage that menaced the institution of slavery and promoted a familiarity and association between black and white that challenged caste taboos.” (15) The lifestyle between slaves and white owners were familiar, because of the permissiveness of their relationship. His quote displayed how interlocked blacks...
In Melton A. McLaurin’s “Separate Pasts; Growing Up White in the Segregated South,” segregation is the obvious theme for the whole book. In the 1950s south, segregation was not uncommon and seen as normal. The 1950’s though, were on the verge of change. Change meaning the civil rights movement and the fight for the walls of segregation to be knocked down. However, McLaurin gives powerful insight to segregation in his hometown of Wade, North Carolina, where it “existed unchallenged and nearly unquestioned in the rural south” in the early 1950s. McLaurin portrays segregation as a normal way of life from a white viewpoint, which I believe he does effectively through memories of his childhood.
The Strange Career of Jim Crow, by C. Van Woodward, traces the history of race relations in the United States from the mid and late nineteenth century through the twentieth century. In doing so Woodward brings to light significant aspects of Reconstruction that remain unknown to many today. He argues that the races were not as separate many people believe until the Jim Crow laws. To set up such an argument, Woodward first outlines the relationship between Southern and Northern whites, and African Americans during the nineteenth century. He then breaks down the details of the injustice brought about by the Jim Crow laws, and outlines the transformation in American society from discrimination to Civil Rights. Woodward’s argument is very persuasive because he uses specific evidence to support his opinions and to connect his ideas. Considering the time period in which the book and its editions were written, it should be praised for its insight into and analysis of the most important social issue in American history.
The answer served to the explanation of the establishment of the Jim Crow law, which is segregation in the Southern
The African-American Years: Chronologies of American History and Experience. Ed. Gabriel Burns Stepto. New York: Charles Scribner 's Sons, 2003.
The segregation in South Carolina happens everywhere and every day. Indeed, racism is manifested through the media, the law, which legitimizes segregation, and the perceptions that white and black people have of each other. Because of the laws against colored people, Rosaleen, as a black woman, lives with constraints in her life. For example, she cannot live in a house with white people (Kidd, p.8), she cannot represent Lily at the charm school (Kidd, p.19), or even to travel with a car with white people (Kidd, p.76). The media is also influenced by racism, and constantly shows news about segregation such as the case of Martin Luther King, who is arrested because he wan...
Lawson, Steven F., and Charles M. Payne. Debating the Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1968. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. 140. Print.
Although many individuals believed that segregation was wrong, many southern states continued to practice racial segregation. Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. Segregation may apply to a variety of situations. Before the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s laws, policies, and practices were aimed at segregating blacks. After the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in America, Jim Crow Laws regulated racial discrimination. Many states and local governments passed legislation to separate people of color from whites in many areas, such as, schools, housing, jobs, and public gathering places to name only a few. While millions of former slaves hoped to become equal citizens, some people continued to view African Americans as second-class citizens (Spartacus Educational).
Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, segregation in the United States was commonly practiced in many of the Southern and Border States. This segregation while supposed to be separate but equal, was hardly that. Blacks in the South were discriminated against repeatedly while laws did nothing to protect their individual rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ridded the nation of this legal segregation and cleared a path towards equality and integration. The passage of this Act, while forever altering the relationship between blacks and whites, remains as one of history’s greatest political battles.
As written in Literature and it's Times, a distinct place where racism and prejudice took place was the South. In the early 1900's, the South remained mostly rural and agricultural in economy. Poverty was everywhere, and sharecropping had replaced slavery as the main source of black labor. Blacks who remained in the South received the burdens of poverty and discrimination. The women faced sexual and racial oppression, making th...
During this time, the idea of segregation was a very controversial topic among the c...
Massive protests against racial segregation and discrimination broke out in the southern United States that came to national attention during the middle of the 1950’s. This movement started in centuries-long attempts by African slaves to resist slavery. After the Civil War American slaves were given basic civil rights. However, even though these rights were guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment they were not federally enforced. The struggle these African-Americans faced to have their rights ...