The March on Washington

Jim Crow Laws

In 1776, when the United States became its own country, it wrote in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal.” But it didn’t truly mean all men. Black people in America weren’t considered equal to white people.

The first enslaved people were brought to Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 from Africa. They were forced to work as slaves with no pay. Enslaved people had no rights at all. In 1861, the Civil War began, divided by the issue of slavery. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all people enslaved in Confederate states free. In 1865, people in the South could not ignore the proclamation any longer, and the black people who had been enslaved officially became citizens.

But free did not mean treated equally. Prejudice and racism still existed, especially in the South. Between the 1870s and the 1950s, some states created laws that segregated black people from white people. Black people weren’t allowed into many hotels, stores, and hospitals. Restaurants and theaters had separate doors for black people, and could refuse to serve black people at all. Black people had separate drinking fountains, often marked “white” and “colored.” Black people had to ride in the back of the bus, and black people and white people went to separate schools. Schools for black children had fewer books and supplies than schools for white children, and the buildings were often in poorer condition. If black people didn’t follow the laws, they could face punishment or even death. Living under these conditions made living in the South very frightening for black people.

These laws were all part of the Jim Crow laws. When a white person dressed up as Jim Crow, he would darken his face with charcoal and make fun of black people. Therefore, “Jim Crow” is a negative way of talking about black people. The fears of being punished for breaking Jim Crow laws dominated a black person’s life. Jim Crow laws didn’t exist in the North, but black people living there still faced segregation and discrimination. And when a black person from the North visited the South, they’d have to abide by the Jim Crow laws. Richard Hill, originally from St. Louis, Missouri, always thought his mother was just telling stories about the segregation laws in the South. But when he visited his grandmother in Mississippi, he was shocked to learn she was telling the truth. His mother continued to remind him that he could be anything he wanted, but that he’d have to work three or four times harder to get it.

Black people also faced challenges trying to vote for politicians to help change these laws. Although the 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, granted black men the right to vote, that didn’t mean they could freely vote. In some states, black people were charged an unfair poll tax that they couldn’t afford. In other states, black people had to pass a literacy test to vote. The test was given by a white person who could make the test as hard as they wanted. Of course, a white person wouldn’t have to pay a poll tax or pass any kind of test.

The Jim Crow laws continued to restrict life for black people in the South for generations. Of course, something had to be done to fix these injustices.

A Lasting Memory

Once, when Melody was only four, her grandparents took her South. It was very hot, and they ran out of lemonade. When Poppa stopped at a gas station in Alabama, Melody begged for a refreshing drink from a Coca-Cola machine. Poppa gave her a nickel, and Big Momma walked her to the machine.

But then, when they got closer, Big Momma stopped them. She said the machine was broken. They went back to their car. But then, Melody saw a little white girl about her age go up to the machine, and withdraw a frosty bottle. Melody shouted that the machine wasn’t broken. But Big Momma put Melody back in the car and they drove away. Melody cried for a long time.

Now that Melody is older, she understands more. A few years later, they were again driving through the South and stopped at a gas station in Tennessee. Melody got out to stretch her legs and saw a similar soda machine. And above it was a sign, reading “Whites Only.” Melody realized the machine in Alabama probably had the same sign.

When Melody asked Big Momma why she hadn’t told her about the sign in the first place, Big Momma replied, “Because it hurt me too much. I didn’t want to hurt you, too.”