The New Jim Crow Chapter 1

Zachary P Nixon and Krystyna Cooper

Department of Criminal Justice, Salt Lake Community College

CJ 1010: Introduction to Criminal Justice

Week 11
 The rebirth of caste
● Freedom is difficult to gain. The promise of freedom of slaves by Abraham lincoln was only given only after
hundreds of thousands of lives were lost from fighting in the civil war (Alexander, 2010, p. 20).
● Once you gain it, nothing changes. Convict leasing camps became the new home of African Americans, and
their rights were meaningless (Alexander, 2010, p. 20).
● No one was surprised of the recreation of the caste due to the racism and political dynamics in the south
(Alexander, 2010, p. 20).
● Caste still exist today, and the success of a few individuals doesn’t mean that it isn’t real. (Eg. Barack Obama,
Oprah WInfrey)(Alexander, 2010, p. 21).

pp. 20-23.
● Castes will continue to be created over and over again, but with each caste the ability to control that group
grows weaker and weaker (Alexander, 2010, p. 22).
● The evolution of caste are not linear! Would you rather be incarcerated for life for a minor drug offense, or
live under Jim Crows rule making a living and being with your family while having to be afraid of the Klan
(Alexander, 2010, pp. 21-23).

pp. 20-23.
 The Birth of Slavery
● What historian Lerone Bennett Jr. describes as "the big planter apparatus and a social system that legalized terror against black
and white bondsmen."(Alexander, 2010, p. 28)
● This section talks about the social divide amongst the nation durig the colonization era.
● in the early colonial period, when settlements remained relatively small, indentured servitude was the dominant means of
securing cheap labor. Under this system, whites and blacks struggled to survive against a common enemy, what historian Lerone
Bennett Jr. describes as "the big planter apparatus and a social system that legalized terror against black and white
bondsmen."(Alexander, 2010, p. 28)

pp. 27-31
 The Death of Slavery
● There is the idea that racial castes died with the end of civil war, which while we discussed is not true people
turned their head to the idea that racial discrepancies only grew. Specifically white supremacy became what
Alexander calls a religion of sorts (Alexander, 2010, p. 27).
● In the declaration of independence it was written that all men were created equal. There weren’t many revolts
against this idea because white supremacists didn’t see African American people as people, they saw them as
beastial (Alexander, 2010, p. 27).
● After the civil war the south was in a economic decline due to the emancipation of African Americans.
Whites were in outrage and tried to find a way to get the system back to how it used to be but couldn’t figure
it out right away. Their fear of losing their power and being overthrown grew more and more and the
stereotype that African American males were violent and would rape thier wives grew out of that fear
(Alexander, 2010, pp. 28-29). pp. 27-31
● Coming from that fear, and the vast population of African Americans who didn’t have homes or jobs due to just coming
off of plantations; black codes were created. These codes were created for the sole purpose of limiting the freedoms of
people of color. These codes included segregation of transportation, education, seating arrangements and much more
(Alexander, 2010, p. 29).
● The reconstruction era was a brief but successful time for African Americans. It was a time of protection from state troops
allowing them to rebuild. The economy, literacy rate, and civil rights boomed during this time period (Alexander, 2010,
pp. 29-30).
● While life seemed to get better, it was superficial in the eyes of the law. Things were still being done to prevent African
Americans from doing things like vote. Laws imposed poll taxes and other detrimental things to halt progression
(Alexander, 2010, pp. 30-31).

pp. 27-31
 The Birth of Jim Crow
The new racial order, known as Jim Crow-a term apparently derived from

a minstrel show character —was regarded as the "final settlement,"

● the Reconstruction Era

pp. 31-36
 The Death of Jim Crow
● World war II profoundly made in impact on how America was viewed as hypocrites. The blatant speaking out
of the nazi’s treatment of the jews despite the continuing racial castes in America was embarrassing according
to Alexander (Alexander, 2010, pp. 36-41).
● From 1944-1960 many court cases and laws were passed banning the segregation of races, and discrimination
policies in the economy (Alexander, 2010, pp. 36-41).
● Despite the massive growth for civil rights there was also an increase in racism and the superpower of the Ku
Klux Klan was reinstated and on the rise. Almost every city in the south had gatherings of middle-upper class
white businessmen and clergymen to revolt against the rulings of the courts (Alexander, 2010, pp. 36-41).

pp. 36-41
● The successes of civil rights wasn’t without it’s losses. The only reason this was able to come to past was due
to the brave civil rights leaders and protesters who revolted. They had to withstand unhuman like treatment like
police dogs and firehoses (Alexander, 2010, pp. 36-41).
● The most well known civil rights leader that made a large impact and left a legacy for the civil rights
movement was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He became more than just a political leader, and brought attention to
the economic discrimination going on in the country. African Americans were joining together with poor white
communities who were also wanting reform. MLK Jr. thought the biggest reform in front of them was the
unequal rights to ALL races in America and wanted complete political redistribution of power in the
government (Alexander, 2010, pp. 36-40).
● Law and order instead of Segregation forever. This is the new caste system we live in today (Alexander, 2010,
p. 41).

pp. 36-41
 The Birth of Mass Incarceration
● Southern legislators claimed that the breakdown of law and order from civil rights should be considered as a
criminal offense. In the south supporting civil rights was seen as rewarding lawbreakers (Alexander, 2010, pp.
41-45).
● Following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., riots began to rise and spread across the nation. This
was problematic not because of what they were doing, but because it fueled the idea that civil rights activists
were just violent and committed crimes (Alexander, 2010, pp. 41-45).
● Barry Goldwater in his campaign exploited the riots by his idea of “get tough on crime”. This made civil rights
die down out of fear of police brutality (Alexander, 2010, pp. 41-45).
● “He emphasized (President Nixon) that you have to face the fact that the whole problem is really the
blacks”(Alexander, 2010, pp. 41-45). pp. 41-57
● This lead to the next and final step of the new caste of today with the war on drugs from
president Ronald Reagan (Alexander, 2010, pp. 45-57).
● Just say no, crack cocaine, increased severity of punishment, increased budget for law
enforcement, mass incarceration(Alexander, 2010, pp. 45-57).

pp. 41-57
 References
Alexander, M. (2010). The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of
colorblindness. Creative Commons.
 Questions
Could you imagine being an indentured servant?

If/When the current caste system falls apart, what do you think the next possible caste might be? Could we stop it beforehand?

Why is it important to be informed on America’s History?

stcea
Anagrams

Laysevr
 Anagrams

Setgodieredgan