What Was Segregation Like in America in 1930?
In the 1930s, segregation in America was reversed in the federal government thanks to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration, and many African American leaders were asking blacks to focus on helping themselves; however, the Jim Crow laws created many problems for African Americans. The Jim Crow laws were passed in the southern states and were what led to most of the segregation practices in this era.
The Jim Crow laws stated that white people and black people must live separately and that churches, theaters, hospitals and schools must be separated by race. The Klu Klux Klan was also active during this time and they terrorized black people as well as immigrants, Jews, Roman Catholics, communists and socialists. They were a white anglo-saxon protestant group that still exists today. They would tar and feather people as well as hang, rape, murder and lynch people from these minority groups.
The southern states also took it upon themselves to make it difficult for African Americans to vote. They imposed a poll tax where a person had to pay in order to cast a vote. Most black people could not afford this tax and therefore could not vote. They also implemented literacy tests that had to be completed to vote. If a black person passed the test then they were beaten and harassed to keep them from voting.
