Summary: The New Jim Crow Laws

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Throughout the book, The New Jim Crow, the statement of the Jim Crow laws are referenced several times by the author. The reason for their inclusion, and their carrying of substantial meaning throughout the readings, has to do with what the statement represents. During the late 1800’s and mid 1900’s a set of laws, named the Jim Crow Laws, were created in order to uphold segregation between those of white descent and those of African American descent. These laws were seen as a permanent solution to a perceived problem that the abolishing of slavery had created. The white community feared the integration of African Americans into its community. As such, the Jim Crow Laws were upheld as “a return to sanity” (Alexander, 2010, p. 104) that maintained

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