Georgia and the New South Era PDF

Georgia During the NEW SOUTH ERA (Part 2: AKS 37b) © Brain Wrinkles  DENYING RIGHTS © Brain Wrinkles  Segregation Changes in the New South pushed Georgia forwa...

Georgia During the NEW SOUTH ERA (Part 2: AKS 37b) © Brain Wrinkles  DENYING RIGHTS © Brain Wrinkles  Segregation Changes in the New South pushed Georgia forward economically, but discrimination against African Americans continued. Gains made during Reconstruction were lost. To ensure segregation, Georgia and many other Southern states, passed Jim Crow laws. These laws were named after a fictional black cartoon character, and they took away most of the citizenship rights of African Americans. © Brain Wrinkles  Georgia’s first Jim Crow law required whites and blacks to ride in separate railroad cars. © Brain Wrinkles  Jim Crow Laws During this time, almost every aspect of life was segregated. Jim Crow laws stopped educational, economic, and social growth for most Southerners, regardless of skin color. All of these laws violated the newly won rights of African Americans, but it would be almost 100 years before they were abandoned. © Brain Wrinkles  Jim Crow Jim Crow laws made it legal to have separate drinking fountains, telephone booths, restrooms, hospitals, hotels, and schools. African Americans could not sit with white people on trains, eat in certain restaurants, or attend certain theaters or parks. There were only limited types of jobs available for African Americans, so employment was often difficult. © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles Jim Crow Laws Laws discrimination against African Americans. To ensure segregation, Georgia and many other Southern states, passed Jim Crow laws which: Made it legal to have separate drinking fountains, telephone booths, restrooms, hospitals, hotels, and schools. Did not allow African Americans sit with white people on trains, eat in certain restaurants, or attend certain theaters or parks. Limited types of jobs available for African Americans, so employment was often difficult. Stopped educational, economic, and social growth for most Southerners, regardless of skin color. © Brain Wrinkles  Homer Plessy, Plessy v. Ferguson Video* 8:35 Shorter Video* 2:06 © Brain Wrinkles  Homer Plessy In 1892, Homer Plessy was jailed for sitting in the “Whites Only” section of a railcar in Louisiana. Plessy was seven-eighths white and one-eighth black. He could “pass for white” but under laws of the time, we was considered Black. © Brain Wrinkles  The Case Plessy claimed that his rights had been violated and brought his case, Plessy v. Ferguson, to court. The 14th Amendment states that all citizens are given “equal protection under the law”, and Plessy felt that Jim Crow laws violated this amendment because blacks and whites are treated unequally. © Brain Wrinkles  The Ruling Plessy was found guilty by the Supreme Court of Louisiana, so he then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled against Plessy, saying that the 14th Amendment only protects political and civil rights, not social ones. It declared that segregation was constitutional as long as black facilities are equal to white facilities. © Brain Wrinkles  The Outcome The Plessy v. Ferguson case upheld Jim Crow laws and established a legal doctrine known as “separate but equal”. The Court’s decision impacted race relations throughout the country, as segregation became even more accepted. After the ruling, most southern states, separated all aspects of life. In reality, facilities for Black Americans were almost always unequal in quality (in 1930, GA spent $43 per White student and only $10 per Black student). © Brain Wrinkles  Plessy v Ferguson (Summary) Homer Plessy could “pass for white”, but under the laws of the time was considered Black Plessy claimed that his rights had been violated and brought his case, Plessy v. Ferguson, to court. The 14th Amendment states that all citizens are given “equal protection under the law The Supreme Court ruled against Plessy, saying that the 14th Amendment only protects political and civil rights, not social ones. It declared that segregation was constitutional as long as black facilities are equal to white facilities. The Plessy v. Ferguson case upheld Jim Crow laws and established a legal doctrine known as “separate but equal”. Plessy, a shoemaker and insurance salesmen, would died in 1925, a devoted family man and member of his community. © Brain Wrinkles Disenfranchisement Even though the Fifteenth Amendment protected African American males’ right to vote, many southern whites came up with ways to keep them from voting. White Southern Democrats used voting requirements like poll taxes and literacy tests to keep African Americans out of politics. Due to the federal government’s lack of enforcement, disenfranchisement, or blocking the black vote, was nearly complete by 1900. © Brain Wrinkles  Poll Tax Poll taxes were established in 1866 and required voters to pay a $1 tax before they could vote. Many African Americans were sharecroppers and were too poor to pay the tax, so they could not vote. © Brain Wrinkles  Poll Tax Receipt © Brain Wrinkles  Literacy Tests Georgia passed a law in 1908 that required voters to read a passage before voting (and later answer questions). Under slavery, many Black people had not been taught how to read or write, even after the war, education for African Americans was not common. The majority of Black Georgians were illiterate, so they could not vote. Literacy tests were not equally applied across racial lines. © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles  Literacy Test © Brain Wrinkles  Disenfranchisement Blocking African Americans from voting Voting requirements like: (know these) Poll taxes – having to pay to vote. Many African Americans were sharecroppers and were too poor to pay the tax, so they could not vote Literacy tests -required voters to read a passage before voting. The majority of Black Georgians were illiterate, so they could not vote. Grandfather Clause - A person could vote if their grandfather was allowed to vote before the Civil War White Primary: Black voters were not allowed in primaries and Georgia was essentially a one-party (Democrat) state  KKK & Voting When these laws failed to disenfranchise all African Americans, groups like the Ku Klux Klan used scare tactics and violence to keep Blacks voters from exercising their 15th Amendment rights. One of the Klan’s main goals was to block African Americans from voting, and they used whatever means necessary to do so. Klansmen often surrounded polling places, scaring many African American voters away. © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles  KKK The Ku Klux Klan burned Black schools and churches across the South. Klansmen also whipped, lynched, and murdered thousands of innocent African Americans. 482 lynchings occurred in the state from 1882 to 1930. Many “respectable citizens” were often secretly members of the KKK © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles  Video* (5:48) The Atlanta Race Massacre (also known as the Atlanta Race Riot) © Brain Wrinkles  Atlanta During the early 1900s, Atlanta’s population was rapidly growing. Unfortunately, with the booming population growth came high crime rates. White community leaders blamed the crime on the city’s African Americans. © Brain Wrinkles  Racial Violence The period from 1890 to 1930 was the bloodiest period of racial violence in Georgia’s history. In September 1906, growing racial tensions spurred on by a contentious election and dramatic journalism resulted in the three-day Atlanta Race Massacre. © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles  Tension The immediate spark of the violence was when Atlanta newspapers began printing articles about 4 alleged incidents where white women were assaulted by black men. Another cause was the large number of unemployed and frustrated whites who viewed blacks as threats to jobs and social order. Gubernatorial-candidate Hoke Smith also contributed to the racial tension with his appeals to white supremacy. © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles  Note: This is an example of what was published in newspapers that stirred up anger by Whites against Black people. These news reports were biased and often false. © Brain Wrinkles  Race Massacre Tensions were high, people were furious, and White men began protesting in Atlanta’s streets. Things quickly turned violent when White men broke into Black businesses, destroyed property, and beat the owners. City officials tried to calm the mob, but the group began attacking innocent African Americans all over Atlanta. © Brain Wrinkles  Race Massacre The Georgia militia was eventually called in, but not before at least 25 people were killed. The race massacre drew negative attention around the world for Atlanta, “the jewel of the New South”. The massacre resulted in deeper segregation throughout Atlanta, and an even larger economic divide between the black and white communities. © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles  Atlanta Race Massacre of 1906 (summary) Growing racial tensions spurred on by a contentious election and dramatic journalism resulted in the three-day Atlanta Race Massacre. Atlanta newspapers began printing articles about 4 alleged incidents where White women were assaulted by Black men. Things quickly turned into a riot when white men broke into Black businesses, destroyed property, and beat the owners. City officials tried to calm the mob, but the group began attacking innocent African Americans all over Atlanta. Georgia militia was eventually called in, but not before 25 people were killed. The race massacre drew negative attention around the world for Atlanta, “the jewel of the New South”. The riot resulted in deeper segregation