The Ethics Of Living Jim Crow

Jim Crow laws meant segregating blacks from whites and the unwritten right to enforce it, at

In the novel, The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander makes the statement that “Under the terms of our country’s founding document, slaves were defined as three-fifths of a man, not a real, whole human being. Upon this racist fiction rests the entire structure of American democracy” (Alexander 26). I agree with Alexanders statement, that slaves were not created equal based on the Constitution, and this has influenced American democracy. Throughout my analysis, I will analyze Alexanders statement and support my argument with reasoning based on historical background, essential laws that were enacted, and current racial segregation.

After reading, "The Ethics of Living Jim Crow Laws I've learned more in depth scenarios about the treatment of Blacks and how the Whites made it to where Blacks were very fearful of them. Richard Wright explains each memory of the abuse from Whites and the lesson that was behind it. For instance, when RIchard was working at his first job and Morrie lied to Pease stating that Richard called him Pease. This was one of the ultimate forms of disrespect from a Negro to a white man. Richard was at a shocking space during this moment he didn't want to say that Morrie was lying even though he was, but he also didn't want to have to live with the consequences of pleading guilty to uttering the worst insult. The fact still remain the same that which

Jim Crow was the name of a racial system instituted after slavery to subordinate free blacks and it was a system instituted primarily in the South that legalized segregation between black and white people. With these set of laws, black and white people lived in separate neighborhoods, attended separate schools, had separate public restrooms, and went to separate restaurants and movie theaters. These laws were instituted under the pretext that it was better for everyone not to mix the races as well as the concept of separate but equal. Obviously, there were alternative motives and the notion separate but equal was false. The reality behind Jim Crow was separate and unequal access from 1890 to 1965. W.E.B Du Bois, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Booker T. Washington were leaders who fought to end the injustices resulted from Jim Crow- segregation, lynching, and mass incarceration. This information is what I learned from first grade to my senior year of high school. This information is what I read in various books. We never discussed parks.

According to Hurston's view personal identity is more important than race. She says that “But I am not tragically colored.” This proves that Hurston believes that being African American and discriminated does not matter, she knows her capability and if she wants to do something, then she will do it. In the paragraph of the text she describes two different types of African American the ones that feel sorry for themselves about being colored “the sobbing school of Negrohood” and the ones that being colored is not an obstacle to continue their lives. Hurston' personal identity is well distinguished when she expressed “No, I do not weep at the world--I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.” This quote shows that Hurston does not care about discrimination

Jim Crow is a character that was created by a white man in 1836, who had intentions of displaying derisive and cruel behavior of African-Americans on stage in order to entertain Caucasians. Jim Crow was the law of both Southern and Northern United States for over a half a century. During the 1830’s, Jim Crow was considered one of the most popular forms of mass entertainment Jim Crow had entered the American vocabulary, and many whites all of which came away from minstrel shows with distorted images of black life, characteristics, which led to the aspiration of Jim Crow (Litwack, Preface of Trouble In Mind 1998, xiv). This paper will illuminate one’s knowledge on the etiquettes, definition, history, and the ideology of how Jim Crow came about.

Race has been a dominant, defining factor in both the 20th and 21st centuries. It has been a reason for missed job opportunities, unequal treatment, harassment, and even murder. In today’s society, race discrimination is still having a heavy effect on the lives of individuals with different colors of skin. Although some progress has been made, the treatment of different races can be brutal still today. There are stories featured in the news everyday about the mistreatment of an African American or the stereotypical harassment of a hispanic person. What has improved, is the way society is handling these relations and discriminations of race. This improvement is clear when you compare the treatment of the victim in the 1930’s

Zora Neale Hurston grew up in Eatonville, Florida. Eatonville was the first incorporated black town in the United States (Eatonville). Founded in 1886, it is just one of over 100 such towns founded just before the 1900's (Eatonville). Growing up in "exclusively a colored town" (Hurston), Hurston had no awareness of her coloredness. White people were merely the people who passed through the town. Hurston stated that "they differed from colored to me only in that they rode through town and never lived there" (Hurston). Young Zora was intrigued with the travelers and they enjoyed hearing her "speak pieces." The colored townsfolk "deplored her joyful tendencies." This line painted a somber picture of the towns people, still under the dark cloud

The novel is fulfilled with the realistic dialect of the southern town in which Zora is widely known. The beautiful metaphorical and symbolic language sends out many positive thoughts. The story is a journey of a young girl who is trying to have her own voice and her own identity. It does not only include unique writing style but also introduces people to the real black dialect and culture. The dialect is a hard read, but it gives people insight to the tough times black women went through when they were treated most unfairly. With imagery, symbolism, African American oral tradition, Hurston creates a literary masterpiece, but she does not receive the credit she deserves during her lifetime. Instead she receives many

Hurston begins "How It Feels to Be Colored Me" by recounting how, as a child, she used to sit on her front porch and watch white people pass through town. The only way she differentiated them from her was the fact that they passed through town and she lived there. Hurston mentions how the community she called home was where she was known simply as "everybody's Zora."

Hurston’s birthplace was the first African American town to be incorporated in the United States and was completely Black. Because of this, Hurston experienced no racism and the freedom to “express herself without reservation” (Gates, Smith et. Al 1030). Hurston’s upbringing was different than the racism many experienced in the South, and that was reflected in her work. While many of the writers of the Harlem

Zora Hurston was a lady of color who grew up in a town where color was not noticed by her, nor was she influenced by the color of her skin. Zora didn’t realize the difference in color until she left her hometown and went away for school, only then did it become noticeable. What ultimately gave her the insight was someone saying comments on how she was born from slavery, she would be the only one of color surrounded by whites, or one white in a crowd of people colored. The

Throughout “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow,” Richard Wright explores the “lessons” that black Americans had to learn in order to survive in a violently racist society. The short story includes nine experiences that the author; Richard Wright, has learned or survived through. One of the first “lessons” learned is from the white boys who lived on the other side of the tracks. While retreating from what seemed like a “war”, according to Wright, in which case, was a fictional fight (play fight).

Growing up in Eatonville, Florida, Zora Neale Hurston led a sheltered life from the racism that was rampant in other parts of the country. The town of Eatonville is an important element of the early life that molded her because it was an all-black community. It was run by blacks and was the first all-black town incorporated in the United States (Campbell 1). She saw nothing but successful black people, not suppressed black people. Until she left the town when she was thirteen, she only knew of white people from the ones that were passing through on their way to or from Orlando (Hurston 13). The title of her autobiographical story, “How It Feels to Be Colored Me”, disguises that Hurston’s strength comes from her individuality and inner-self, not her ethnicity.

In the book “Uncle Tom’s Children” by Richard Wright, many topics are covered through it’s different stories, such as racism, prejudice, law and order, etc. The topic of Child Psychology is highly displayed in the two of the stories, which are “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow” and “Big Boy Leaves Home”. Child Psychology is a branch of Psychology that focuses on the study of the mental and social developments of children. As the events of the stories unfold, we are able to see how the main characters’ personalities and mental states change, which involves beliefs, attitude, actions, change of heart, etc. In the stories, the personalities of the main characters change due to the experiences they go through and the situations that they are