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Ch 8: Life at the Turn of the 20th
Written by Ryan Bolin, Tori Loop, and Claire Ferguson. We are discussing the Jim Crow Laws, photography, aviation, violence towards African Americans, and the Plessy vs. Ferguson Case. This Roughly stretches from 1860's to the early 1900's. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The Plessy vs Ferguson case took place in 1869 and was the beginning of the "Separate but Equal" laws that were in place for about sixty years. In 1892, Homer Plessy boarded an all white train, although he was one-eighth black. He was confronted by a government official and later arrested. Plessy took this to court and claimed it violated the 14th amendment. Judge Ferguson and the Jury voted that the argument was invalid, and then began the "Separate but Equal" doctrine, or segregation. -
The Jim Crow Laws
Although the turn of the 20th century seemed well for inventors and engineers, a dark reality loomed behind the scenes. African Americans fought harsh discrimination. The Jim crow Laws allowed companies and businesses to designate certain services to citizens based on their race. Companies overwhelmingly favored whites and often left other races with dirty and renovated services. Although these laws first rooted in 1877, they had not completely faded away until the Civil Rights Movement. -
Violence Towards African Americans
African Americans would have severe punishment or they would die. They would be accused of violating the etiquette and would face punishment. The punishment was mostly lynching some African American men and women were shot, burned, and hung without trail in the south. Between 1882 and 1892, more then 1400 African Americans were killed. Lynching peaked in the 1880s and 1890s. -
Photography and Film
Photography and film are relatively new. Although the first camera was invented by Nicéphore Niépce in 1816, cameras weren't commercial available until 1888. The Kodak changed film and allowed for video to be recorded at a relatively decent quality. It also helped make photography and film mainstream by marketing towards common citizens. Photography also helped to record events such as WW1 and help bring controversial issues, such as segregation, to light. -
The Development of Aviation
Throughout history, there have been countless attempts made by humans to fly. It wasn't until the 1900's that the first successful airplane flight took place. Developed by the Wright brothers, the early version of the plane was in the air for a record breaking 59 seconds and flew 852 feet. 2 years after the first, Orville and Wilbur Wright then went on to fly 24 miles uninterrupted two years later.
