Civil Rights Near the Turn of the Century

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Student Question

Why did the Civil Rights Act of 1875 have little impact in the South?

Quick answer:

The Civil Rights Act of 1875 had little impact in the South primarily due to lack of enforcement and its nullification by the Supreme Court in 1883. Following the end of Reconstruction, Southern states enacted Jim Crow laws enforcing segregation. The 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision further entrenched segregation by upholding "separate but equal" facilities, ensuring that the South remained legally segregated and diminishing the Act's effectiveness.

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The Civil Rights Act of 1875 had little impact on the South. This law was designed to allow all people to have equal access to public accommodations. This included access to theaters, restaurants, and public transportation. However, this law had very little impact on the South.

There were a few reasons why this law had so little impact on the South. One reason was that the law was not enforced. Another reason was that it was declared illegal by the Supreme Court in 1883. After Reconstruction ended, the southern states began to pass laws, called the Jim Crow Laws, which allowed segregation to exist. The Supreme Court ruled in the Plessy v Ferguson case in 1896 that segregation was legal as long as the facilities were equal. The South remained legally segregated for many years after this ruling. As a result, the Civil Rights Act of 1875 had little impact on the South.

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