Which term describes state laws in the South that legalized segregation?

Which term describes state laws in the South that legalized segregation?

• A. Plessy v. Ferguson
• B. Jim Crow
• C. Reconstruction
• D. Racism

Answer: (B)

Jim Crow refers to the system of state and local laws in the South that legalized racial segregation, enforcing separate facilities and services for Black and white people across public life, from schools and transit to restrooms and housing. This legal framework created a segregated society and was reinforced by the era’s court decisions, notably Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. Reconstruction, by contrast, describes the earlier period focused on rebuilding after the Civil War and extending rights to freedpeople, not the segregation regime. Racism is the broader prejudice behind these laws, not the specific legal name for them.

Jim Crow refers to the system of state and local laws in the South that legalized racial segregation, enforcing separate facilities and services for Black and white people across public life, from schools and transit to restrooms and housing. This legal framework created a segregated society and was reinforced by the era’s court decisions, notably Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. Reconstruction, by contrast, describes the earlier period focused on rebuilding after the Civil War and extending rights to freedpeople, not the segregation regime. Racism is the broader prejudice behind these laws, not the specific legal name for them.