Jim Crow Era: 1896-1930

1896

  • Ex-Slave mutual relief, bounty, and pension assocIation founded

  • Started to pressure legislators into establishing pensions for ex-slaves

  • Association activities utilized mutual aid and provided crucial medical and burial assistance

  • Led by Callie House, who emphasized need for solidarity and importance of economic support systems for mutual benefit.

1900

  • Jim Crow Laws: One of the forms of white backlash that emerged following Reconstruction

  • These laws were designed to inhibit the financial and social advancement of Black people in the US

  • They upheld white supremacy in all aspects of life, including farming White farmers and business owners were given the right to charge additional interest rates on loans given to sharecroppers, and Black farmers

  • White land and business owners set lower prices for crops grown by Black farmers

1910

  • Work of Dr. George Washington Carver

  • Scientist, inventor, and educator at Tuskegee University Developed organic farming through revival of crop rotation techniques and soil regeneration with nitrogen fixing crops and compost

  • Techniques revitalized soil that had been degraded by cotton farming in the South

Melanie Allen