Segregation In The Strange Career Of Jim Crow

Who was Jim Crow? Before reading this book or studying Jim Crow laws one might assume that Jim Crow refers to a specific person in history. Jim Crow, it turns out, was not a specific person but a term used to describe a person of color. The set of laws regarding segregation came to be known as Jim Crow laws. Prior to the civil war when African-Americans were still enslaved, blacks and whites lived in close proximity to one another. That changed after President Lincoln released the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 subsequently freeing all enslaved blacks.1 Black Americans, however, soon realized that freedom did not mean they would have the same rights as white Americans. This is where we learn the story of The Strange Career of Jim

White supremacy is an ideology that white people are superior to all other races. In one part Woodward wrote “The major political parties, whatever their position on slavery, vied with each other in their devotion to this doctrine, and extremely few politicians of importance dared question them. Their constituencies firmly believed that the Negroes were incapable of being assimilated politically, socially, or physically into white society. They made sure in numerous ways that the Negro understood his place and that he was severely confined to it.” The phrase “Negro understood his place and that he was severely confined to it” is a prime example of the white supremacy mentality of that era. Black Americans were made to feel inferior to their white counterparts and were treated as second class citizens. Woodward also wrote “The conservatives acknowledged that the Negroes belonged in a subordinate role, but denied that subordinates had to be ostracized” further confirming the theme of white supremacy ideology throughout the book. This ideology of white supremacy led to discrimination and racism. It also led to the formation of a white supremacist group known as the Ku Klux Klan or the KKK. The Ku Klux Klan got its start in Polaski, Tennessee. What started out as a social group for confederate soldiers quickly escalated to a terrorist organization targeting anyone who was not

Vann Woodward details the horrors of racial segregation in the United States. Jim Crow was not a specific person but a name used to describe a person of color. Laws concerning segregation of the races came to be called Jim Crow laws. After President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation all slaves were freed. However, they quickly realized that freedom did not mean the same rights and equality as their white counterparts. White supremacy was the ideology that led to racism and segregation. White men believed people of other races were inferior to them and should be treated as such. There were separate facilities for whites and blacks. The problem was not only that they were separate. Usually, the facilities used by whites were much nicer than those used by blacks. And while I found this book very informative it was also difficult to read. The author’s writing is very formal. I believe if he had simplified the wording, been more concise, and added pictures it would have made this book much more enjoyable to read. Overall, I do believe the book is worth reading. The author is informed on the subject matter as we all should