Jim Crow: Legislating Inequality
Learning Objectives
- Define Jim Crow laws
- Explain how rights granted in the 14th and 15th Amendments were restricted by Jim Crow laws
- Describe the economic and social hierarchy these laws created based on race
- Analyze Black Americans’ responses to Jim Crow laws
- Explain the legal challenge to segregation in the case Plessy v. Ferguson and the Court’s ruling
Overview
Equality under the law is an ideal, not a reality. In this lesson, students explore state segregation laws and their political, economic, and social impact on African Americans in the Jim Crow era. Students also explore how Black communities resisted these laws and assess the lasting impact on people’s lives and opportunities.