The Strange Career Of Jim Crow By C. Vann Woodward

The Strange Career of Jim Crow by C. Vann Woodward explains the development of Jim Crow Laws starting in the period of Reconstruction until its legal demise in 1965. The book puts an argument against the question whether or not segregation had been around before the civil war, and argues that segregation had not always been that way. Before the Civil War, a close proximity was crucial between the societies in the South to maintain white supremacy above blacks. After the Civil War, a period known as Reconstruction began the physical separation of the blacks and whites to maintain white supremacy by keeping blacks and whites separated in physical facilities like schools, bathrooms, and all types of transportation. Although there was a physical separation between blacks and whites, there was not any kind of social strife between the races until the Compromise of 1877 and the forcible integration of the races. The period after Reconstruction began the push to set in laws known as J im Crow Laws to legally separate the races, but because of the certain laws poor whites were also affected by things like literacy tests and poll taxes. The total effect of the Jim Crow Laws only benefited white elites like before the Civil War. Woodward breaks up his book between the different phases Jim Crow went through and explains the different reactions people took towards the growing segregation. Before the Civil War, the â€Å"Old South† lived by the regimes of slavery with white’s superiorShow MoreRelatedThe Strange Career of Jim Crow by C. Vann Woodward1063 Words   |  5 PagesC. Vann Woodward wrote The Strange Career of Jim Crow for a purpose. His purpose was to enlighten people about the history of the Jim Crow laws in the South. Martin Luther King Jr. called Woodward’s book, â€Å"the historical Bible of the civil rights movement.† (221) Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote revealed the true importance of Woodward’s book. Woodardà ¢â‚¬â„¢s book significance was based on it revealing the strange, forgotten facets of the Jim Crow laws. Assumptions about the Jim Crow’s career have existedRead MoreThe Strange Career Of Jim Crow By C. Vann Woodward907 Words   |  4 PagesThe book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow by C. Vann Woodward is an enormously influential book in history. Woodward was born in 1908 in a small town in Arkansas named Vanndale and he died at the age of 91 in December 1999. The most interesting thing about this book is not just the particular events in history, or the misconceptions and myths that Woodward discusses, but rather how badly the problem of race is in America. Since the United States introduced the slaves into their country there has alwaysRead MoreEssay on The Strange Career of Jim Crow1336 Words   |  6 PagesThe Strange Career of Jim Crow C. Vann Woodward’s book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow, has been hailed as a book which shaped our views of the history of the Civil Rights Movement and of the American South. Martin Luther King, Jr. described the book as â€Å"the historical Bible of the civil rights movement.† The argument presented in The Strange Career of Jim Crow is that the Jim Crow laws were relatively new introductions to the South that occurred towards the turn of the century rather thanRead MoreEssay A Review of The Strange Career of Jim Crow1072 Words   |  5 PagesA Review of The Strange Career of Jim Crow C. Vann Woodward’s most famous work, The Strange Career of Jim Crow, was written in 1955. It chronicles the birth, formation, and end of Jim Crow laws in the Southern states. Often, the Jim Crow laws are portrayed as having been instituted directly after the Civil War’s end, and having been solely a Southern brainchild. However, as Woodward, a native of Arkansas points out, the segregationist Jim Crow laws and policies were not fully a part ofRead MoreAnalysis of the Strange Career of Jim Crow940 Words   |  4 Pagesthat C. V. Woodward’s novel â€Å"The Strange Career of Jim Crow† was simply a book about racism. Other critics also attack his style of writing in this very popular novel. However, I believe that Woodward’s novel is not just a book about racism. It is a book about history. I believe it is a book about race relations, not racism. Woodward shatters the stereotypical view of segregation through chronicling the history of Americ a from reconstruction through the late 1960’s. The Strange Career of JimRead MoreHistorical Significance of Multiple Books on Jim Crows Life and Career1254 Words   |  5 PagesClass/Section 11 December 2012 Strange Career of Jim Crow Significance The author of this report is asked to answer to a series of specific questions as it relates to a certain book written about Jim Crow and the wider historical and social significance of the same. The Supreme Court decision that involved Jim Crow and the separation of blacks and whites is to be discussed as well as a general reaction to the book. All of this and more will be covered. The Woodward work is recognized as one of theRead More C. Vann Woodwards The Strange Career of Jim Crow Essay1719 Words   |  7 PagesC. Vann Woodwards The Strange Career of Jim Crow In the field of history, it is rare that an author actually comes to shape the events discussed in their writing. However, this was the case for C. Vann Woodward and his book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow. First published in 1955, it discusses this history of race relations in America, more specifically the Jim Crow laws he equates with the segregation of races. Woodward argues that segregation itself was a fairly new development withinRead MoreEssay on C. Vann Woodwards The Strange Career Of Jim Crow1497 Words   |  6 PagesC. Vann Woodwards The Strange Career Of Jim Crow C. Vann Woodward illuminates one of the â€Å"ugliest† aspects of American societal history in his book The Strange Career of Jim Crow. His book is an overview of the development of the Jim Crow system, a set of racist laws put in place around the turn of the nineteenth century. Interestingly his book tracks the evolution of racism throughout American history. He not only shows where and when racism is developing but the different ways that the racismRead MoreJim Crow Essay705 Words   |  3 PagesTerm Paper The Strange Career of Jim Crow by Van Woodward is based on the time period surrounding the Civil Rights Movement. This book is an accurate account of events that occurred during this time. It shows how the 1896 US Supreme Court Ruling affected blacks and the obstacles they faced to overcome. This book shows how the rights of African Americans have evolved over time. Van Woodward did an excellent job illustrating the events of history with The Strange Career of Jim Crow and created aRead MoreEssay on Book Review of The Strange Career of Jim Crow2082 Words   |  9 PagesBook Review of The Strange Career of Jim Crow Prior to the 1950s, very little research had been done on the history and nature of the United States’ policies toward and relationships with African Americans, particularly in the South. To most historians, white domination and unequal treatment of Negroes were assumed to be constants of the political and social landscapes since the nation’s conception. Prominent Southern historian C. Vann Woodward, however, permanently changed history’s naà ¯ve