Democracy Academy: Collapse into Jim Crow

White Supremacy Takes Hold

In my last class of Democracy Academy, I reviewed the tragic case of Giles v. Harris—where the Supreme Court destroyed any hope of braking the collapse of reconstruction.

Thereafter, the system of white supremacy known as Jim Crow piled a bevy of oppressive and self-reinforcing conditions and devices upon Black voters for generations.

Here’s a list of the various devices used to suppress democracy and voters in the South:

The oppressive cumulative effect of all these tools and factors was greater than the sum of the individual devices.

Think about what a potential Black voter faced, say, in the 1910s—he could try to vote, but to do so, would have to overcome a variety of hurdles that were designed for him to fail. He also knew that if he attempted to vote, he faced the prospect of violence, losing his job, having his family face other repercussions, etc.

Knowing that you were taking on all that risk to attempt something that the system guaranteed you’d be unable to do, would you go through it?

Only when you see how these factors worked together and reinforced one another can you understand how those Southern states so quickly ceased to be functioning democracies for generations:

• Almost no participation by Black citizens (80,000 out of 3.6 million Black citizens—2.2%— participating) — versus 60% voters turnout only a few decades before

• Low turnout overall; well below the rest of the nation.

• The elimination of Black elected officials at all levels—from Congress, to state, to local; versus a world where Black elected officials were omnipresent (and the majority of some statehouses) in the late 1800s

• With no Black representation in government, the onset of apartheid laws covering all aspects of social and economic life; and precedent upholding “separate but equal” as the law of the land

• Intense political incentives to continue to suppress the Black vote (along with poor White voters) and attack basic rights of Black citizens through a wide array of tools and devices.

• Lawlessness, including the open defiance of federal court orders and haphazard/discretionary application and enforcement of rules.

• Violence and intimidation enforcing it all; lack of law enforcement and criminal justice response to protect Black voters and citizens.

• And the twisted irony that those who gained power through this broken system enjoyed long tenure, seniority and outsized power in Washington; Southern leaders were well-positioned in Washington to keep any change from happening.

All this cemented into place for generations.

In upcoming classes, we’ll work our way through the fate of each device in the courts.