Racial Segregation
“Segregation is that which is forced upon an inferior by a superior. Separation is done voluntarily by two equals.” This is an important and powerful quote said by the late Malcolm X. From 1849-1950 segregation took place for a little over a century. Just 4 years after that, in Brown v. Board of Education the supreme court outlawed segregation in public schools. This was the starting point in putting an end to segregation nationwide. However, is segregation really abolished? Or has it just been revamped with different meanings?
According to Merriam dictionary, Segregation is the separation of a race, class, or ethnic group by enforced or voluntary residence in a restricted area, by barriers to social intercourse, by separate educational facilities, or by other discriminatory means. Segregation came strong after the Plessy v. Ferguson case in 1896 where the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregations laws in public facilities were legal. African Americans were free and separate, but still not considered equal in the eyes of the majority.
Fast forward to the twentieth century where racism, segregation, prejudice, and hate are said to be on a decline. Perchance some of these changes can be attributed to Paul Betty’s hilarious novel The White Boys Shuffle. The White Boy Shuffle is a novel about an African American male named Gunnar Kaufman and his coming of age in a new Santa Monica neighborhood. Betty does a wonderful job on shining light on the importance
In the late 1800’s, a series of racial policies went into effect known as the Jim Crow Laws. These laws enforced separate but equal treatment among African Americans and Whites. Established by the use of separate facilities such as, schools, hotels, restaurants, restrooms and transportation, many of us know and understand Jim Crow Laws by one word, “Segregation”. Jim Crow Laws were upheld by the government during the Plessy vs. Ferguson case and were cemented through acts of terror by the people who opposed. Although slavery had been abolished, African Americans were still stripped of their civil rights, which is intended to protect citizens from discrimination by the government and people.
38 states either had required segregation, limited segregation or no legislation against or it. This is shown in the Second Source in the form of a map created by multiple high-ranking Wikipedia administrators for the sole purpose of displaying the information on the page in a more accessible format. From the map we see the huge task that the Brown case had. The entire south and most of the eastern area had required educational segregation and other forms of segregation such as dining and entertainment After the laws were passed over half of America had to change their laws in some ways. Some did it as soon as possible, such as the northern states with little to no legislation about segregation. Others weren’t as fast, hoping to stall the law for as soon as possible as to not induce mass change to things like social class and economy in a state that historically had segregation implanted into the culture of the state. There is a small amount of bias shown in the source as enforced segregation is highlighted in red. This either on purpose or subconsciously implies that segregation is bad compared to non-segregation which is marked in
Segregation is the act of discriminating against others because of their race. The act of Segregating is morally wrong. Racism executes appalling feats. This is because it slows down the development of countries, and brings out the worst in people.
In the sources, they talk about the horrible things about segregation. Segregation is the discrimination of people of color or who are “different.” This was the biggest conflict in 1955. Segregation is wrong because it causes violence and hatred in the world, it is an unfair way to treat people, and it is unconstitutional. First, segregation causes violence and hatred to the world.
A year later, the courts made a decision in Brown II that “school officials proceed with all deliberate speed as they forged school systems not based on color distinction” (Anderson 4). Once these changes for African Americans began, supporters of segregation became more determined to remain the majority in power. Whites were upset that federal authorities overrode their desires and “sponsored a dangerous inversion of the South’s cherished traditions and the nation’s racial heritage” (Anderson 4). In their minds, blacks did not have a right to become educated, to have money, or to even be in the same category as them. White considered themselves racially superior and wanted it to remain that way.
Just fifty years ago, America was a society of segregation and racism. The dictionary defines racism as “the belief that a particular race is superior to another.” Although it is clear times have changed, racism is still seen in modern american society. It’s also clear that relationships between African Americans and whites are generally better than they were in the forties and fifties. Today, it is rare to witness a black man walk down the street and step off the sidewalk to let a white man walk by, or to see a black man sitting on a different section of the bus or train because a white man told him he has too. But superiority of races is still happening. A lot of this has the do with the ignorance of others. Passed down generation to
I say that segregation is the action or state of setting someone or something apart from other people or things or being set apart. Many Americans don’t want to admit it, but I’ll say that segregation is still around, sometimes by design and sometimes by choice. According to a study last year, 43% of Latinos and 38% of blacks go to schools where less than 10% of their peers are white, but beyond that, we often fail to talk about how segregation impacts us personally. How it permeates not only many of our public and private institutions, but American culture at large easily talk about culture or social segregation an area that we have control over, via the restaurants we patronize, the bars we drink at and the places we worship. People who have studied race, spent months abroad in India or Africa, tasted the best fufu and mofongo, read Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin and Pablo Neruda, and who may even have black “friends” or lovers, still too often manage to have a community that doesn't reflect diversity in their broader city or
According to Merriam-Webster the word “segregation” was first known to be used in 1555. It is defined as the separation or isolation of a race, class, or ethnic group by enforcing or voluntary residence in a restricted area, by barriers to social intercourse, by separate educational facilities, or by other discriminatory means.
Segregation is the enforced separation of different racial groups in a country, community, or establishment. During segregation people of different races had to ride in different rail cars and attended separate schools. In two cases, Plessy V. Ferguson and Brown V. Bored of Education, the Fourteenth Amendment was argued. The outcome of these two court cases effected African Americans and their fight against segregation. These two court case are similar in their fight for a cause because they challenged the meaning of the same law, but different in their outcome.
In America, the 13th Amendment that was added in late 1865, had officially abolished slavery. Former slaves were allowed the rights of citizenship and “equal protection” under the Constitution. Unfairly, these rights given to the freed slaves from the Constitution were almost always ignored. Since slavery was abolished, there were many new challenges that faced former slaves. One of the challenges were a series of laws that passed called Jim Crow laws. These laws made it illegal for blacks and whites to share many different facilities. Segregation made things harder for the black population, and caused them to be unfairly treated. Fortunately, the attitude today about segregation has changed dramatically.
To begin with, the dictionary says segregation is the act of being separated or set apart from others. That is exactly what was going on in the 1900s. Black people were separated from white people. The Supreme Court ruled that colored and white people were to be “separate but equal.” Nothing was really equal, though. Black people were always on the down side of the scale. According to, “The Little Rock Nine” article, colored people could not vote, eat, or even drink in the same location as whites. Black people would have to be separated on city buses, restaurants, hotels, and public bathrooms, said the
Segregation was one of the biggest problems of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Segregation is when people are excluded because of their race, where they’re from, or their religious beliefs. This went on in the United States from about 1877 and ended in 1964. This act started to dull down when brave African Americans stood up to the unjust treatment they had to face everyday. Segregation is wrong because it goes against the constitution, it’s unfair and biased, and lastly, it causes unnecessary violence along with an unacceptable example for the future.
Segregation was an attempt by white Southerners to separate the races in every sphere of life and to achieve supremacy over blacks. Segregation was often called the Jim Crow system, after a minstrel show character from the 1830s that was an old,
As I learn more about the realities of education, there was one issue that sparked my interest and passion – segregation. Though it is difficult to see first-hand, I can definitely see remnants of segregation through comparison of resources available at schools I’ve worked at. My belief that education serves as an accessible tool for social mobility led me to explore the issue of segregation with the perspective of a future educator. Over 50 years ago in the Brown v. Board of Education case, the Supreme Court deemed that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. With this in mind, I was under the impression that schools were not segregated (at least to a far lesser extent). However, I was shocked to learn that segregation in schools
Forty-seven years ago the Civil Rights Act was passed to end racial discrimination in America. And later on the 24th Amendment to poll taxes, then the Voting Rights Act to allow every man to vote and not be discriminated against. Black Power, the Nation of Islam, and the Southern Christian Leadership conference were just some of the groups that tried to end segregation and promote the African American race. Although these groups did help end it, it still exists in today’s world and many studies have been done to prove it in the past couple of years.