Who Was Jim Crow?

This video from The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow depicts the popular 19th-century minstrel song that stereotyped African Americans and later came to personify the system of government-sanctioned racial oppression and segregation in the United States.

Accessibility features: Transcript

Living with Jim Crow

This lesson examines how the history of Jim Crow can be understood through the stories of individuals while still recounting a larger historical narrative.

Fighting Jim Crow in the Schools

In this lesson students map the events in the fight for education for African Americans from the Jim Crow era to the Civil Rights movement.

The Law and Politics of Jim Crow

This lesson examines the changing legal status of African Americans after slavery, the political violence that accompanied that change, and the legal challenges to Jim Crow.

The Economics of Jim Crow

In this lesson, students learn how the laws and practices of Jim Crow crippled many African Americans and lead to economic destabilization.

The Geography of Jim Crow

In this lesson, students locate statistical information using census data from the United States Historical Census Data Browser.

The Crisis: A Weapon Against Jim Crow

Learn about W.E.B. Du Bois’ crusade against American segregation and discrimination in this segment from The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.

Accessibility features: Transcript

Realities of Life in the Jim Crow Era

This hands-on, media-enhanced lesson explores life in the Jim Crow South using video segments from the PBS series Finding Your Roots.

Growing up under Jim Crow in Birmingham, Alabama

In this video segment from Finding Your Roots, Condoleezza Rice discusses what life was like growing up in Birmingham, Alabama during the era of Jim Crow.

Growing up under Jim Crow in Grapeland, Texas

This video segment from Finding Your Roots features Ruth Simmons as she discusses her childhood in Grapeland, Texas as the daughter of sharecroppers.

The Jim Crow Years: People Who Made a Difference

In this lesson, students identify individuals who distinguished themselves and made contributions to their communities during the Jim Crow era.

Growing up under Jim Crow in Piedmont, West Virginia and Chattanooga, Tennessee

This video segment from Finding Your Roots details what life was like during the Jim Crow era in Chattanooga, Tennessee through the personal experiences of actor Samuel L. Jackson.

Charles Hamilton Houston and His Legal Challenge Against Jim Crow

This video fromThe Rise and Fall of Jim Crow profiles Charles Hamilton Houston, the chief council for the NAACP, and his legal challenge against Jim Crow.

Accessibility features: Transcript

Read All About It!: The African American Press in the Jim Crow Years

In this lesson, students explore the organizational structure of newspapers and learn about the significance of the African American Press during the Jim Crow era.

Black Pioneers: Building African American Communities During the Jim Crow Era

Students are introduced to all-black, self-sustaining communities established as a response to the imposition of Jim Crow laws and practices.

Domestic Terror: Understanding Lynching During the Jim Crow Era

This lesson exposes the crime of lynching and explores the many political, legal and social attempts made by individuals and organizations to seek justice.

Barbara Johns of Farmville, Virginia

In this video from The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, learn about 16-year old Barbara Johns, a high school student who, in 1951, organized a student walk-out to protest inferior educational conditions at Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia.

Accessibility features: Transcript

Charlotte Hawkins Brown

Learn about Charlotte Hawkins Brown, founder of an educational institution for young African Americans, in this video segment from The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.

Accessibility features: Transcript

Lucy Laney

Lucy Craft Laney, a former slave who established the first school for black children in Augusta, Georgia, is profiled in this video from The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.

Accessibility features: Transcript

Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois: The Conflict

This video segment from The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow highlights W.E.B. Du Bois’ criticism of Booker T. Washington for focusing on the economic advancement of blacks and accepting the injustices of Jim Crow.

Accessibility features: Transcript