Segregation in Public Accommodations: Segregation was common in public places, especially in the
South. The segregation of public accommodations got a boost in 1896, when
the Supreme Court ruled
in Plessy v. Ferguson
that railroad cars could be segregated as
long as the accommodations were
"separate but equal." This ruling gave rise to many state laws
legalizing segregation in public
accommodations, including theaters, restaurants, libraries, parks
, and transport services.
Jim Crow laws established separate facilities
for whites and blacks across the South. In waiting rooms
and rest rooms, train cars and buses, theaters and restaurants,
and even on park benches, blacks and
whites were kept apart. Often there was simply no
accommodation for blacks at all. Some restaurants
refused to serve African Americans. And in some places
there was a bathroom for whites but none for
blacks. In other cases, the facility for
blacks was notably inferior. That was often the case with schools.
Segregation in Schools Jim Crow laws for schools began to appear shortly after the Civil War. By 1888,
school
segregation had been established in almost every southern state, along with some northern and
western states. Although the Plessy decision stated that separate accommodations for the races must be
equal, the reality was often quite different. Southern states spent far more on white schools than on black
schools. Teachers in black schools got lower salaries and worked under more difficult conditions. They
often lacked books and supplies, and their school facilities were frequently substandard. In some schools,
students had to gather firewood to heat their classrooms in the winter. Although white schools had bus
systems, black students often had to walk miles to get to school.
Segregation in the Workplace
Employment and working conditions reflected widespread segregation in American society. Few blacks
held white-collar jobs, or jobs that do not involve manual labor. Those who did were usually teachers or
ministers. Not many blacks were employed as skilled laborers, either. Most worked in agriculture or
services. Their wages were much lower than those of whites. In 1940, for example, the median income
level of black men was less than half that of white men.
Discrimination in employment was a direct result of racism, but it was also the product of poor schooling
for African Americans. Illiteracy and a lack of education helped trap blacks in low-level jobs, especially in
the South.
Segregation in Politics
In the years after Reconstruction, poll taxes and literacy tests kept many blacks from voting. Many
southern states also disenfranchised blacks through use of the white primary. This was a primary election
in which only whites could participate. Texas was one state in which the white primary was used
extensively. Between 1923 and 1944, Texas Democrats used it to limit black participation in politics. In
1944, however, the Supreme Court declared white primaries unconstitutional. As a result, more African
Americans began voting in Texas, and the number of registered black voters rose substantially.
Gerrymandering was another method used to discriminate against black voters and render their votes
meaningless. Gerrymandering is the practice of redrawing the lines of a voting district to give one party or
group of voters an advantage. If the majority of voters in a particular voting district are African Americans,
they may be able to elect a candidate who represents their interests. But if the voting district lines are
gerrymandered to break up that population and place African Americans in white-majority districts, the
black vote gets diluted and becomes less effective.
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