Segregation in the South

1865-1930

1. After the American Civil War

• The 13th amendment ended slavery• Freed slaves hoped that life would change

for the better in the South• US gov’t program called Reconstruction

created and protected freedoms and rights for ex-slaves

• Especially voting under the 14th Amendment

• US gov’t believed that Black voters would help rebuild the South fairly for all people

• But racism still existed – belief that one race is better than another

• Some Whites feared that Black voters would bring unwanted change to the “Southern” way of life

• Ku Klux Klan was formed to preserve White Power in the South

2. The Ku Klux Klan

• Southern whites didn’t want Blacks to be equal• Didn’t want to be governed by Blacks• 1866 - Klan created mostly by former white

Confederate soldiers• Wanted to keep white power in the South• Maintain white supremacy - state of being

better• Wore white hoods and cloaks to hide identity• Hidden identities created fear and made it

easier to use violence to get what they wanted• Used violence to scare away Black voters• Violence spread to Black businessmen, new

immigrants, and white supporters of Blacks

• Because of their fear, Blacks were afraid to vote• Mostly only Whites voted – White politicians

were elected that kept things unfair for Blacks

3. Klan Violence• Violence usually happened at night• Klansmen burned a cross as a warning -

“you’ve been warned”• Victims dragged from their beds - taken into

the street• Torture, whippings, and beatings; homes

burned• Many Blacks were lynched - murder committed

by a group without a trial• Often by hanging but can be other ways• People lived in fear of the Klan• Police did little; often secretly worked with the

KKK• Congress passed the 15th Amendment (1869) –

all men can vote regardless of race (didn’t change much; relied on local police to enforce)

• Over time, White Power restored in the South• The Klan disappeared by the end of the 1870’s

(no longer felt threatened by free Blacks, US gov’t cracked down on the Klan)

• But their way of thinking still existed

4. Blacks Lose the Right to Vote

• Reconstruction ended in 1876, Whites in the South regained political control of their states

• Southern politicians wanted a legal way to keep control

• Southern Blacks became disenfranchised under White rule – lost their ability to vote

• Although voting rights couldn’t be outlawed (14th /15th)…

• Southern states passed certain laws/policies that made it difficult for Blacks to vote

• Often used reading tests or charged expensive fees• Few Blacks in the South voted • For most of the next 60 years, elected officials were

White Democrats • (Blacks usually supported Republicans – Lincoln)

5. Jim Crow Laws• Laws were created to legally separate

Whites and Blacks in society• Known as - Segregation• Different from state to state• Believed in “Separate but Equal”• Rarely was it equal• Blacks were not permitted to use the

same public facilities as Whites• Included almost every part of society• Separate hospitals, restaurants,

public bathrooms• Separate schools, cemeteries, public

transportation• Became known as the Jim Crow Laws• Jim Crow Laws were designed to

maintain Blacks as an inferior people

6. Segregation in the South

• Under the Jim Crow Laws, life in the South was very difficult (and dangerous) for Blacks - for poor Whites too

• Southern Whites successfully maintained their positions of power through segregation

• Mayors, governors, judges, sheriffs, school board, etc. • The KKK kept Blacks afraid to speak up, fight back, or

seek help (those who helped would be punished too)• Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896) –– Supreme Court decision

stating “Separate but Equal” was legal• Often the Police enforced segregation – sometimes in

connection with the KKK• Nearly impossible to convict Klan members of crimes• Judges and jury members were often in KKK or afraid• Although slavery had ended, little changed for Blacks