Jim Crow

What children learn in Level 68

• Welcome to World 7. It tells of one of America's greatest struggles, and the courage of the people who won it. You first met Jim Crow laws in Grade 4. Let's look again.
• After Reconstruction, southern states, including Georgia, passed laws that kept Black and white people apart. Schools, buses, restaurants, parks, even water fountains were separated.
• In 1896, the Supreme Court allowed this, if things were “separate but equal.” They were never equal. Black schools often had old books, crowded rooms, and far less money.
• Unfair rules, like poll taxes and reading tests, kept Black citizens from voting. Those who spoke up faced threats and violence, and some were killed. The law often did nothing.
• Black Americans never accepted this. They built schools, churches, and businesses. They started newspapers, and formed the NAACP to fight in court. Their courage is the center of this story.