Describe the pervasive nature of "Jim Crow" laws. How was the system enforced, both formally and informally?

Jim Crow laws were laws that led to the systematic segregation and oppression of African Americans in the United States between 1876 and 1965. Jim Crow laws were a series of laws that were created and enforced at the state and local level to segregate and oppress African Americans from receiving access to state resources and institutions like education and others. The system was formally enforced by the police and by the courts. For example African Americans could be disallowed from entering restaurants or were forced to use specific water fountains or could not enter certain schools. The police in the South generally where the laws existed would enforce these laws brutally at times as well as the courts.

Answered by Gibbs | 2024-06-10

Jim Crow laws were enacted between 1876 and 1965 to enforce racial segregation in the Southern United States, exploited both formally through law enforcement and courts, and informally through social and economic pressures. They systematically oppressed African Americans and restricted their rights in various public spheres. The laws persisted until the civil rights movement led to their repeal and the establishment of more equitable laws.
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Answered by Gibbs | 2024-12-26