Life under the Jim Crow Laws

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Informative documentations of life as it existed for a large segment of the population at different times in U.S. history. Plantation presents a brief history of slavery in this country and notes some commonly held misconceptions. It discusses the different types of plantations and what life was like for a slave living on one. Discussions center on work, family, punishment and resistance, and leisure. The book is liberally illustrated with black-and-white reproductions and period photos. The text is balanced; while it describes people who were badly mistreated, it also points out that not all slave owners were vicious. Illustrated with black-and-white photos, Jim Crow is an enlightening discussion of racial segregation and the ways in which whites in this country contrived to keep African Americans at a subservient level. The origin of the term is explained along with a discussion of Plessy v. Ferguson. Other chapters describe daily life, schools, jobs, and the lack of civil rights under these repressive laws. The final chapter covers the civil rights movement. The text concludes with a statement that acknowledges that racial understanding is a never-ending process. Both titles feature boxed articles that correlate to the text and both are well documented.Excellent choices for research.-Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KS Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.