Jim Crow Era Research Paper

The United States, while seen as a free nation, holds a troubled past as shown by the Jim Crow Era. Originally, the Jim Crow name was created as a character for a minstrel show and evolved into a symbol people associate with the period of segregation of African Americans in the U.S. Segregation had roots that delved deep into history back to the slave trade and slavery across nations. Although, as with every way of life, there are extremist groups such as the KKK, that seem to personify the Jim Crow Era, the KKK is only one small section of the discriminatory era, racial discrimination has been normalized as it has been woven throughout society affecting people, unknown to them. Laws were no exception to the injustice seen throughout …show more content…
A lesser known racism that Morrison brings to light is internalized racism, which contains “the personal conscious or subconscious acceptance of the dominant society’s racist views, stereotypes and biases on one’s ethnic group” (Taking Action Against Racism 3). This ultimately causes thoughts of inferiority and self-hatred in the minds of the discriminated. Internalized racism is common throughout society, yet hidden as a result of altering the psyche. This type of racism, maintains its strength because of institutional racism “that reflects the cultural assumptions of the dominant group” and is projected in everyday life (Taking Action Against Racism 2). Institutionalized racism is defined as prejudice by race through everyday acts that are so routine they became mindless. People such as government officials “discriminate either deliberately or indirectly, against certain groups of people to limit their rights” (Taking Action Against Racism). Because it takes place in everyday society, it appears ordinary to discriminate others because of their racial identity. Similar to internalized racism, it is not distinctive acts of injustice, but everywhere, making it subtle yet