Essay on Book Review of The Strange Career of Jim Crow

Book Review of The Strange Career of Jim Crow Prior to the 1950s, very little research had been done on the history and nature of the United States’ policies toward and relationships with African Americans, particularly in the South. To most historians, white domination and unequal treatment of Negroes were assumed to be constants of the political and social landscapes since the nation’s conception. Prominent Southern historian C. Vann Woodward, however, permanently changed history’s naà ¯ve understanding of race in America through his book entitled The Strange Career of Jim Crow. His provocative thesis explored evidence that had previously been overlooked by historians and gave a fresh foundation for more research on the topic of†¦show more content†¦Answering this radical turn of events, Woodward published a third edition of Strange Career in 1974 to discuss the ambiguity faced by many African Americans in opposing the principles of Jim Crow laws while maintaining a distinctive racial identity . His research and continual revisions made The Strange Career of Jim Crow an undeniable force of the time with praise hailing from civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. who referred to it as â€Å"the historical bible of the civil rights movement.† In The Strange Career of Jim Crow Woodward claimed that the segregation that eventually appeared in the South was not an unavoidable consequence of slavery and Reconstruction. He stated that although slavery was commonly practiced across the region, â€Å"segregation would have been an inconvenience and an obstruction to the functioning† of Southern society and systems. Slavery, despite its basis in white superiority, had promoted an unavoidable intimacy and association between the races, as seen from the prevalence in mulattoes and residential intermixing. Woodward went on to theorize that segregation and the notion of Jim Crow were not even original products of the South; instead, they had been developed and advanced in the North before being exported to the South. He pointed to the well-developed system of segregation thatShow MoreRelatedHistorical Significance of Multiple Books on Jim Crows Life and Career1254 Words   |  5 PagesNetwork Resources Inc. Class/Section 11 December 2012 Strange Career of Jim Crow Significance The author of this report is asked to answer to a series of specific questions as it relates to a certain book written about Jim Crow and the wider historical and social significance of the same. The Supreme Court decision that involved Jim Crow and the separation of blacks and whites is to be discussed as well as a general reaction to the book. All of this and more will be covered. The Woodward workRead MoreThe Strange Career of Jim Crow by C. Vann Woodward1063 Words   |  5 PagesWoodward wrote The Strange Career of Jim Crow for a purpose. His purpose was to enlighten people about the history of the Jim Crow laws in the South. Martin Luther King Jr. called Woodward’s book, â€Å"the historical Bible of the civil rights movement.† (221) Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote revealed the true importance of Woodward’s book. Woodard’s book significance was based on it revealing the strange, forgotten facets of the Jim Crow laws. Assumptions about the Jim C row’s career have existed sinceRead MoreEssay A Review of The Strange Career of Jim Crow1072 Words   |  5 PagesA Review of The Strange Career of Jim Crow C. Vann Woodward’s most famous work, The Strange Career of Jim Crow, was written in 1955. It chronicles the birth, formation, and end of Jim Crow laws in the Southern states. Often, the Jim Crow laws are portrayed as having been instituted directly after the Civil War’s end, and having been solely a Southern brainchild. However, as Woodward, a native of Arkansas points out, the segregationist Jim Crow laws and policies were not fully a part ofRead More The Voice of Billie Holiday Essay1498 Words   |  6 Pagesbut as a black woman was discriminated against even as an artist(Davis 2). 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That is, you are free to share, copy, distribute, store, and transmit all or any part of the work under the following conditions: (1) Attribution You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author, namely by citing his name, the book title, and the relevant page numbers (but not in any way that suggests that the book Logical Reasoning