Summary Of The Strange Career Of Jim Crow

The practice of segregation in American history was not black and white. Although technically segregation was the separation of the black and white races in American societies, it had a certain ambiguity and complexity that surrounded the practice. This ambiguity and complexity pertained mostly to its origin within American history. Though many people believe segregation was a practice throughout America emerging from Southern slavery in the 19th century, author C. Vann Woodward argues differently in his highly appraised historical work, The Strange Career of Jim Crow. Prior to the publication of The Strange Career of Jim Crow, Woodward worked very closely with individuals involved in the black community. He had excelled in his years of schooling

Dubois. Also, Woodward had become acquainted with a Reconstruction specialist, Howard K Beale. The Strange Career of Jim Crow was ultimately a reaction the the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case. In 1954, the case stated that separate racial facilities were no longer equal under the 14th amendment, thus deeming segregation unconstitutional. Following the court decision, Woodward gave several lectures called the Richard Lectures at the University of Virginia. A decade later these lectures would be publish as a book.With these relationships and the verdict of the Brown v. Board of Education case, Woodward was influenced to write The Strange Career of Jim Crow. In The Strange Career of Jim Crow, the goal of Woodward was to persuade the reader that the idea that segregation was originally conjured during slavery was a widely held

The era of Redemption began when a group of southern white democrats called Redeemers “overthrew Reconstruction and established ‘Home Rule’ in the Southern states conducted their campaign of white supremacy.(47)” Woodward acknowledged the existence of Jim Crow aspects such as segregated churches, schools, newly added hospitals, asylums, and other public institutions. However, Woodward argued that since freed slaves already came into a life restricted by poverty and ignorance, the Jim Crow Laws would be arbitrary. Woodward believed during the years of Redemption, began the rise of Southern conservatism, Northern liberalism,, and Southern radicalism. All three of these components of Redemption held off the creation of official segregation. Southern Conservatism was the belief that in order to differentiate their population with uneducated poor white southerners, the more wealthier southerners must be educated and must educate others in order to refrain from being associated with the lower class. Southern Radicalism was an aspect of early Populism. Populism was a political party that was working for the interest of the common man. This included the black community. According to Woodward populism wanted black and white people to unite under common struggles and unite against a common enemy, which during the time was big business. Northern Radicalism was the radical surgence of support from the