Unjust Laws
Jim Crow laws were a “system of racial segregation” that helped keep blacks
at an economic disadvantage. Because of Jim Crow laws, the only professional jobs available to blacks were teaching and ministering. Blacks
and whites couldn't marry each other, drink out of the same water fountain, or even learn together. On Montgomery buses, a black had to give up his seat whenever the driver told him to, even if it was unnecessary. While in some other cities, blacks only stood when there were absolutely no seats, as
did whites.
did whites.
Joe Scherschel/ Life Images
On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ordered in favor of integration of public schools in the case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, but never specified a deadline. Some schools took as long as 20 years to abide. The NAACP backed this case, and it was seen as a monumental step forward for the Civil Rights Movement. This case negated the precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson: “separate but equal”.