The Discriminatory Jim Crow Laws and their Impact on Minorities in the 1930s

1. 1930s Research Essay English 9 Perry High School

2. Prompt: • Compose a four-paragraph EXPOSITORY essay about your topic • Use THREEreputable sources from the database as support. • The essay will include embeddedcitations • Include a works cited page in MLA 8 format.

3. Hook • Draw your readers in and entice them to read on. • What are some different ways to get the attention of the reader? Provide an anecdote (short story) Include an interesting fact Ask a question Include a definition (ie. justice, compassion, etc.) Example: Webster’s Dictionary defines justice as “the quality of being just, impartial, or fair.” It seems as though justice wasn’t popular in the 1930s as minorities were often mistreated and discriminated against.

4. Thesis • A strong thesis for an expository essay will not present an opinion, make outlandish claims, or state an argument. • It should be based purely on factual information that you present in the body of your essay. • It should be clear, concise, and well written. • Once you have a sound thesis in place, writing the rest of your essay will be easy because you will know exactly what information you need to present, and in what order. • Examples: • The Jim Crow Laws were a set of laws that worked to enforce racial segregation and discriminate against minorities. • Brown vs. Board of Education was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in that had far-reaching effects with regard to segregation in public schools.

5. Body Paragraph 1 • Topic Sentence: The Jim Crow Laws worked to prevent minorities from enjoying the freedoms that other Americans received. • Statement: One of the ways in which these laws discriminated against the African-Americans is by restricting their leisure activities. • Evidence: The Smithsonian Institute’s Separate Is Not Equal webpage includes a 1930 Alabama law that states, “It shall be unlawful for a negro and white person to play together or in company with each other in any game of cards or dice, dominoes or checkers.” • Elaboration: This is a clear example of how the Jim Crow Laws infringed upon minorities’ rights. With whom a person of color decides to play dice, dominoes or checkers is none of the business of government, or any other group of people. It is not hard to see that the intent of the law is to reinforce racial bias and prevent minorities from rising up in society. • Closing Sentence: Jim Crow Laws were invasive and offensive by nature as they developed a system that worked to regulate the leisure activities of African-Americans.

6. Body Paragraph 2 • Topic Sentence: Residents of the South also enacted Jim Crow Laws that successfully singled-out minorities and prevented them from gaining power. • Statement: One of the ways in which these laws discriminated against the African-Americans is by instituting poll taxes and literacy requirements . • Evidence: Poll taxes “required citizens to pay a fee to register to vote. These fees kept many poor African Americans, as well as poor whites, from voting,” according to the National Museum of American History. Elaboration: This is yet another example of how the Jim Crow Laws infringed upon minorities’ rights. Requiring citizens to pay to vote is offensive and unfair. Wealth should not be a factor when deciding who should be elected into office. Obviously, this was a ploy to prohibit minorities from electing politicians who are sympathetic to the plight of the minority. • Closing Sentence: Jim Crow Laws were unfair and offensive as they worked to oppress the African-Americans.

7. Conclusion Paragraph • Re-state your main points from the essay and how they elaborate on your thesis. • Restate Main Ideas: The Jim Crow Laws were extremely discriminatory and disrespectful as they set up a regional and system-wide set of regulations that infringed upon the rights of African-American citizens. The regulation of leisure activities and inappropriate poll taxes and literacy requirements effectively singled-out minorities and worked to keep them from gaining any true power or influence. • Closing Sentence (connect to hook): Surely, the Jim Crow Laws were not “just, impartial, [nor] fair” in any way. It seems as though the 1930s were a time where freedom and fairness didn’t apply to all citizens.

8. Don’t forget to include a works cited page.

9. Alpha Order Works Cited Alchin, Linda. “Ulysses Grant.” Facts, List and Examples ***, Siteseen Limited, 9 Jan. 2018, www.american-historama.org/1866-1881-reconstruction-era/jim- crow-laws.htm. American Public Media. Jim Crow Laws | Remembering Jim Crow, americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/remembering/laws.html. “White Only: Jim Crow in America - Separate Is Not Equal.” Smithsonian National Museum of American History Behring Center, americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/1-segregated/white-only-1.html. Double-Spaced Hanging Indent