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Review Of C. Vann Woodward's The Strange Career Of Jim Crow

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When the Civil War ended in 1864, African Americans thought that their lives would progress, but their lives dramatically changed when Jim Crow Laws were put into effect. The Jim Crow Laws legalized separation between blacks and whites. The Civil Rights Act stated that all races were permitted to equal treatment, but the Courts explained that this rule did not apply to those of higher power. There was confusion about the validity of segregation until the court case of Plessy v. Ferguson disputed it. In Journal of Southern History, Larry Rivers claims that “In a 7-1 decision, the Court assigned constitutional legitimacy to the burgeoning system of Jim Crow racial segregation.” After the ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson, Jim Crow Laws became more …show more content…

Vann Woodward, examines the Jim Crow Laws after the Civil War had taken place. Majority of the book is a series of lectures by Woodward, himself, that are directed towards the South. The historical context which “The Strange Career of Jim Crow” is written took place during the Civil Rights Movement. Several legal cases, such as the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, played a prominent role in race relation issues. C. Vann Woodward used a tremendous amount of precise, historical evidence throughout his book. Woodward also used many facts and other resources, such as The Reconstruction Act and The Civil Rights Act, to support his …show more content…

Vann Woodward discusses the downfall of the Jim Crow Laws. In 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education case ruled that segregation of public schools was unlawful. Woodward notes in his book that “the court’s decision of 17 May was the most momentous and far-reaching of the century in civil rights. It reversed a constitutional trend started long before Plessy v. Ferguson, and it marked the beginning of the end of Jim Crow.” Implementation was something new to everyone. The North and the states that lie between the North and South accepted implementation, and, although there was no outburst, the Deep South was on the edge about the decision to integrate both

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