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In the south, during the 1880s, the Jim Crow laws were created to make racial
segregation more prominent in America. During the years that the Jim Crow laws were
implemented, African Americans were abused, discriminated against, and even murdered.
These laws are a dark part of American history, but an important one that we need to
know about, starting with how the name was created.
The term Jim Crow began as a stage name for a white performer named
Thomas Rice after he performed a song named Jump Jim Crow. He mimicked and
insulted African Americans during his performances, by dressing in ragged clothing and
blackening his face, while portraying a poor African American slave. Rice stereotyped
African American during his numbers, which the audience believed to be the realistic
characteristics of African Americans during that time. He became famous for his act and
traveled around America and England, and the name Jim Crow became a well-known
character that many white performers used. Once the segregation laws were created, the
name stuck and they became known as the Jim Crow laws.
The laws may have been a joke to whites, but for African Americans they were a
serious aspect of everyday life. Everything, everywhere was segregated once the laws
were in place, from schools, to parks, to buses, to even water fountains, and if broke the
laws you could face serious consequences. African Americans lived in fear with the Jim
Crow laws around, but not only because they were laws. From signs stating No dogs,
Negros, Mexicans to Whites Only African Americans were insulted and mistreated,
always wondering if their family was safe. African American children grew up much
different from white children because their safety was at risk with the Jim Crow laws.

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The laws had a large impact on our history, as Americans, and Georgians, as you can see,
but what were some of the laws?
In Georgia, during the Jim Crow era, the laws covered some thing that you
wouldnt even believe they would even consider. For example, the law that an African
American barbers could not cut any white boy unless he was over the age of 14, and that
they could not cut white womens hair at all. Another interesting law was that you could
not run a billiards room if you are white, and also allow African Americans in the room
to play. Also, that if African Americans and whites had to have different mental hospitals!
How many mental patients African American or white are there even? Besides those
weird laws, most states stuck to the usual segregation laws that forced African Americans
and whites to separate, instead of dealing with their problems.
Overall, the Jim Crow laws were horrible, and shouldnt have been put in place,
but on the other hand, maybe whites were afraid, and so instead of confronting African
Americans and being understanding they masked their fears. Maybe the laws were a bit
over the top, and the actions of whites were completely uncalled for, but possibly they
hoped that the laws would diminish their problems, but truly they only made them
greater. Finally, the Jim Crow laws have shaped our country to be what it is today, and
have taught us the importance of being open, and embracing others differences.