re: Question about Jim Crow laws from a Yankee.

I have not written anything insulting about southerners or blacks. My intent was to seek opinions about whether Jim Crow laws were driven by poor whites (the majority of the population) 20 years after the end of the civil war or by a wealthy minority who feared a multiracial populist political block that was gaining power.

This isn’t a white vs black or Yankee vs southerner thing.

Do you think poor people are putting up statues?

My statement still stands.

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have read and believe that racism was different in the north vs the south.

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Still is.

The South loves the man but hates the group.

The North loves the group but hates the man.

I know a few much older white Southern men who hold views we would all describe as rather despicable. Without fail they each have a similarly aged black man who they consider one of their closest friends.

I personally pushed pretty hard to get some property sold to a black family about six miles away. Why? They are good people who I want around. Alternately, we've bought family property to keep other black folks out. Why? I didn't know them. Did the same thing for two white families as well though.

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In the south, whites didn’t want blacks to get too successful. In the north, whites didn’t care how successful blacks got as long as they didn’t live near them.

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Not factual. When your population is 99% white, any black racial issues are non-existent.
I’ll use NOLA as an example. NOLA never discriminated against Chinese/asians and had no racial issues with them, yet on the west coastand east coast, it was a huge issue. Throughout the west there was discrimination against hispanics and native Americans, never a problem in the south because, prior to Katrina, there were no large hispanic groups, so no issues.
Historically, Northerners discriminated against European immigrants, asians, Catholics and Jews. Today you see the vitriol against Jews up north. I can’t ever think of any organized targeted protests, demonstrations, or attacks, again the Jewish population in NOLA. Happens all the time up north.

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Historically, Northerners discriminated against Everybody

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fify

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I read an article that claimed that Jim Crow laws were introduced at the tail end of the 1800’s because poor whites and the newly freed slaves were becoming too friendly and forming a populist political block that frightened the economic elite. Is this true?

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There is truth in this. "How else you gonna keep 'em down on the plantation?" was directed every bit as much at poor whites as it was blacks. Do some Googling on "The Machine" that was essentially the D party kingmaker in Alabama politics for decades.

The very first non-Machine governor, Guy Hunt, was named one of the best governors in the nation by a prominent publication back in the late 1980's, and he was promptly impeached by The Machine for having the temerity to show them up.

But again, I’m a Yankee so what do I know about the south 140 years ago?

With the internet, you know the same as anyone who lives down here. It’s not like people are passing down family stories on the motivations of legislators enacting these laws.

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"How else you gonna keep 'em down on the plantation?"

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a popular post-WWI song:



Abe Burrows suggested a rewrite: "How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm, After They've Seen The Farm"

Oh boy. How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm once they've seen Karl Hungus.