Jim Crow

The Jim Crow South
Early in the 19th century the term Jim Crow referred to a minstrel show character created by white actor Thomas Dartmouth "Daddy" Rice. By the end of the 19th century the term began to be applied to laws and customs which oppressed African-Americans. The racial caste system overwhelmed Blacks with the harsh realities of dehumanization, stereotyping, and the segregation of daily life in the Jim Crow South. However, within the combined efforts of The Great Migration of the post war era, the work of organizations on the national level, as well as the effort of everyday African-Americans, an overall push from segregation to civil rights resulted.
For the vast majority of southern blacks, the horror of Jim Crow meant that they were forced to live behind a virtual veil. This created a psychological ploy in which blacks assumed the position of non-confrontation. As many whites refused to acknowledge the humanity of African-Americans, most blacks had to hide their true f...