Laws Emerged Jim Crows laws emerged in 1876, after Reconstruction. These laws emerged because of the segregation between whites and blacks, and the Democratic Party legislated these laws. The laws consisted of segregation of public schools, public places and public transportation, restrooms and restaurants. With these laws in place, it made life hard for African Americans to survive, let alone live. Finding work was a chore in itself, especially when you’re going up against the white person. Many kinds of employment, such as work in the mills, went largely to whites. Black could enter some white residents but only as servants and hired help. Blacks could bared from juries and usually received greater penalties than whites for the same crime. It was extremely dangerous if any African American to cross the color line; it usually meant violence. The chances of being whipped, beaten, and lynched were highly possibly, especially in the South.
African Americans Responds One of our nation’s most uncompromising leaders and most ardent defenders of democracy (Baker, 1996) was Ida B. Wells. In 1884 Wells was asked to give up her seat to a white man and ordered her in the Jim Crow car. Despite the Civil Rights Act banning discrimination, the railroad companies denied the congressional mandate. Wells literally fought for her seat, biting the conductor on the hand after he tried to remove her by hand. Of course after retrieving help from other men, Wells was removed from the train. Wells conquered many obstacles and wrote many good words in the fight against discrimination. Recognized as the nation’s foremost black educator, was Booker T. Washington. Washington had big dreams and big ideas, and foremost, wanted an education. At a young age Washington took a job in a salt mine that began at 4 a.m. so he could attend school later in the day. He was later taken in by a