Jim Crow America: A Documentary History

314 Pages·2009·4.08 MB·English

by  Catherine M. Lewis

Jim Crow America

Jim Crow America
A Documentary History
EDITED BY
C M. L J. R L
ATHERINE EWIS AND ICHARD EWIS
The University of Arkansas Press
Fayetteville
2009
Copyright © 2009 by Catherine M. Lewis and J. Richard Lewis
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica
ISBN-10: (cloth) 1-55728-894-1
ISBN-13: (cloth) 978-1-55728-894-3
ISBN-10: (paper) 1-55728-895-X
ISBN-13: (paper) 978-1-55728-895-0
13 12 11 10 09 5 4 3 2 1
Designed by Liz Lester
•The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements ofthe American
National Standard for Permanence ofPaper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1984.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Jim Crow America : a documentary history / edited by Catherine M. Lewis and
J. Richard Lewis.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-55728-894-3 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978-1-55728-895-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-55728-894-1 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-55728-895-X (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. African Americans-—Segregation—History—Sources. 2. African
Americans—Civil rights—History—Sources. 3. Racism—United States—
History—Sources. 4. United States—Race relations—Sources.
I. Lewis, Catherine M., 1967– II. Lewis, J. Richard, 1936–
E185.61.J527 2009
305.896'073009041—dc22
2008045166
For Betty Bishop Lewis,
wife and mother,
with all of our love,
now, and then

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
CHAPTER 1
Inventing Jim Crow 1
CHAPTER 2
Building Jim Crow 43
CHAPTER 3
Living Jim Crow 87
CHAPTER 4
Resisting Jim Crow 143
CHAPTER 5
Dismantling Jim Crow 185
APPENDIX 1:
Timeline 235
APPENDIX 2:
Discussion Questions 241
APPENDIX 3:
Sample Assignments 243
Annotated Bibliography 251
Index 257
About the Authors 273

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book, like all such projects, involved the assistance, hard work, and
support of numerous people. We would like to begin by thanking Larry
Malley, Julie Watkins, Brian King, Melissa King, and Thomas Lavoie at
the University of Arkansas Press. Their enthusiasm and support for Jim
Crow Americahas made the process all the more enjoyable.
Marie Stanton warrants special recognition as she took on the seem-
ingly endless task of converting many of the documents into an elec-
tronic format for the second time. She played the same role in our first
collaborative book, Race, Politics, and Memory,published by University
of Arkansas Press in 2007 for the fiftieth anniversary of the desegrega-
tion of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. This can often be
a tedious and cumbersome process, and her diligence helped make this
book possible.
Jeff Bridgers at the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Division helped us locate and download photographs from that vast col-
lection. His continual good humor and support are much appreciated. Dr.
Dana M. Sally, former dean of University Libraries, University of West
Florida, and his staff were always helpful, patient, and accommodating in
our search for documents. There are numerous individuals who helped
us secure permissions to use many of the documents included in this vol-
ume, and they include India Artis (The Crisis), Rachel Leven (Foreign
Affairs), Sheila Darryl (Central State University), Beth Howse (Fisk
University), Judy Choi (University of Chicago Press), Tanya Milton
(Savannah Tribune), Gail DaLoach and Steven W. Engerrand (Georgia
Archives), Naomi Nelson (Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library,
Robert W. Woodruff Library, Emory University), Habiba Alcindor (The
Nation), Marilyn Benaderet (The Afro-American Newspapers), and Gay
Walker (Special Collections and Archives, Eric V. Hauser Memorial
Library, Reed College). Finally, we would like to thank Karen Johnson for
her fine work as copyeditor.