jim crow law

English - English

Definition of jim crow law in English English dictionary

Nickname for any law which racially segregated public facilities and which was enacted in Southern and border states in the United States between 1876 and 1965

legal racial discrimination against African-Americans

Law that enforced racial segregation in the U.S. South between 1877 and the 1950s. The term, taken from a minstrel-show routine, became a derogatory epithet for African Americans. After Reconstruction, Southern legislatures passed laws requiring segregation of whites and "persons of colour" on public transportation. These later extended to schools, restaurants, and other public places. In 1954 the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education; later rulings struck down other Jim Crow laws

Related Terms

Jim Crow laws

plural form of Jim Crow law

Hyphenation

Jim Crow law

Turkish pronunciation

cîm krō lô

Pronunciation

/ˈʤəm ˈkrō ˈlô/ /ˈʤɪm ˈkroʊ ˈlɔː/

Etymology

() From the song Jump Jim Crow (c. 1830) which mockingly portrayed African-Americans. The term Jim Crow became a generic term for African-Americans in the early- to mid- 19th century.