HY 1110-08F-2, AMERICAN HISTORY I (HY1110-08F-2) Essay - 7

HY 1110-08F-2, AMERICAN HISTORY I (HY1110-08F-2) - Essay Example The rituals of behavior which governed blacks under Jim Crow included such norms as restrictions on blacks and whites eating together, prohibitions on blacks shaking hands with whites, right-of-way at intersections for whites, the non-usage of titles of respect or courtesy for blacks, expecting blacks to remove hats or caps when talking with whites, and other customs and standards of behavior which unequivocally demonstrated the inferiority of African-Americans. This racial etiquette could be violated at the risk of life and family, as the threat of lynching was very real. In addition to the above, many southern states passed legislation which excluded blacks from public transport, facilities and some neighborhoods. There were statutes which provided separate train cars for blacks, reserved seats in coaches for whites, denied blacks the right to vote through discriminatory clauses, literacy tests and poll taxes, established separate schools, rest rooms, water fountains, telephone boo ths and burial grounds, mandated segregated rooms at libraries, prisons, hospitals and bars, and strictly banned interracial marriages. Most of the laws were directed towards the prohibition of social interaction between the two races. The Jim Crow laws may be considered to have ended by the mid 1960’s. Gradually, America has universally acknowledged that racial discrimination in any form is unjust, and corrective justice, as implied in affirmative action and reparation have gathered support. This broad consensus has led to the acceptance that discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender or class is against the beliefs of American society. The laws of the U.S.A. are now firmly against any discrimination and an egalitarian society has been established, with the shining example of Barack Obama as