Explains how Jim Crow laws came to be created in the South and what it meant for African Americans. Discusses the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case, how its decision was eventually overturned, and the events that brought an end to...

Article provides an overview of the history of Jim Crow laws and questions for discussion.

After Reconstruction, states in the South passed laws that barred African Americans from voting and segregated schools, restaurants, and public accommodations.

This section from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History's exhibition Separate Is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education gives the history of Jim Crow laws and how they affected not only the voting rights of...

[Free Registration/Login Required] African American poet Maya Angelou passed away this week. Learn about her difficult early life and rise to fame as a critically acclaimed author.

Maya Angelou recounts her coming of age story as a mature but apprehensive girl in the American South and California during the Jim Crow era. Selected (8) reading passages (grades 7-10) to pair with "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by...

Overview of the challenges African Americans in the South faced and attempts to overcome the rising issues of discrimination and segregation after Reconstruction.

Steven Lawson, Professor of History at Rutgers, explores how racial segreagation changed from before the Civil War up to the 1950s and the differences in segregation between the North and the South. Students should understand the legacy...

Richard Wright, a black boy living in the Jim Crow South, travels north in hopes of escaping the violence and prejudice that rules his childhood. Selected (8) reading passages (grades7-12) to pair with "Black Boy" by Richard Wright....

Ninth graders will be introduced to Maslow's hierarchy of needs and will explore how this hierarchy relates to the needs that humans have. Students will also be introduced to background information about the South during Jim Crow through...

The Compromise of 1877 gave Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency in exchange for the end of Reconstruction in the South.

"Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry", by Mildred D. Taylor is a riveting, Newbery Award winning novel, about a family living in the 1930s Jim Crow South. Make a smart choice by reading your favorite novel with a BookFiles reading guide. The...

A detailed account of the history of African Americans is presented in this article. Divided by main topics or periods of time, the coming of slavery to America is the first focus. Followed by plantation life and escapes to freedom and...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about Rosa Parks and her non-violent protest of segregation laws in the South. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.

Excerpts from a 1941 film that depicts black and white communities in Kannapolis, NC, by H. Lee Waters (1902-1997). This two part film characterizes the differences in economy, community, and values of two separate cultures.

Through the use of primary source documents, resource explores the lynching of blacks in the South during the Jim Crow era.

This resource focuses on the works of famous African-American author, Langston Hughes.