Overview

The first hour in the series "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: Promises Betrayed (1865-1896)" airs on PBS on Tuesday, October 1 at 10:00 p.m (EST). (check your local listings). The program shows how, as the promises of Emancipation were betrayed and Reconstruction came to an end, African-American efforts to obtain their constitutional and civil rights were repressed at every turn by southern whites who enacted a series of discriminatory measures that came to be called "Jim Crow" laws. The hour tells the stories of many of the early heroes of the time, including Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells, and Isaiah Montgomery, and shows how lynch law was used as a terrorist tactic to prevent African Americans from claiming their just place in American society.

Following is a series of links that will lead you and your students to resources on this site that will prepare them for the program and enrich their viewing experience.

Series Introduction

The essays called Series Overview and Synopsis of Program One will outline the general content and editorial thrust of the series and the premiere program.

Image Galleries

The Jim Crow Collection contains historical images of the Jim Crow era post Plessy v. Ferguson and portraits of those who fought against the system from the very beginning.

The Gandy Collection offers a unique and largely unseen view of African Americans post Reconstruction: that of upper middle class, educated individuals living successfully in the South.

Essays

For an overview of the 80-year time period encompassed by the term "Jim Crow Era" go to the Historical Overview Essay, with special attention to the section called Creating Jim Crow.

Lesson Plans

You can choose from several lessons plans specially designed to complement Program One. The Comparison Essay on Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois explores the two philosophically opposed men by looking back at their very different upbringings. The lesson called Presidential Advisory Committee to Andrew Johnson will engage your students in the policy issues of the day. You might also look at the Issues of Post-Civil War America Talk Show and the two lesson plans on Plessy v. Ferguson.

Maps

For an overview of the variety and scope of the Jim Crow laws, look at the map called Jim Crow Laws Inside the South and accompanying Essay on Jim Crow Legislation.

Simulation

After the program, students might enjoy the simulation called Jim Crow: Paths of Resistance, which will also prepare them for some of the issues raised in subsequent programs.