During the time Jim Crow laws were in effect, the daily lives of everyone living in the Deep South was affected, regardless of whether they recognized it or not. For some, Jim Crow was part of their culture and so they didn't even recognize its power, they simply saw it as a way of life. Although some people living in the North had no idea what was happening in the South, they were still affected by Jim Crow laws. Americans' reactions to and incorporation of Jim Crow differed depending on whether they lived in the North or the South and whether they were black or white. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the North, some whites were not very aware of Jim Crow laws, because they were not the law in the North, racism was just part of the culture. Some others spoke out against them or helped fight them. In the North, Jim Crow was not part of the culture, in fact it was something that seemed completely wrong. This is not to say that there weren't still racists or KKK members living in the North, there were simply fewer of them than the entire population. The murder of Emmett Till opened the eyes of many whites living in the North. This was one of the catalysts for the civil rights movement. Although Jim Crow did not have as firm a hold on the North as it did on the South, blacks have still not enjoyed all the rights that are now afforded to everyone in today's world. For example, they might be refused service at a company, and although segregation was not the law, it sometimes occurred. For example, in Muncie, there were some neighborhoods where only blacks lived and others where only whites lived, despite the fact that this was not mandated by law. Northern blacks knew about Jim Crow but, as in the case of Emmett Till, had no idea how strict it was. Emmett's mother had warned Emmett that things were different in the South, but neither he nor she knew how different they were. When Emmett told his cousins that he whistled at a white woman in Bryant's grocery store, he was afraid of being sent back to Chicago. He had no idea that what he had done could mean death in the South. When Emmett was killed, his mother was the one who fought for justice, not the Mississippi justice system. If she had lived in the South, she probably would not have reacted this way, but she most likely would have been too afraid to talk about her son's death and the trial of his killers. In the South, however, things went differently. Segregation was the law, and anyone who did not obey would be subject not only to law enforcement, but would also have to answer to other Southerners and the Ku Klux Klan. Southern blacks integrated Jim Crow into their daily lives. They did this by doing what was expected of them, which was to serve white people and treat them as if they were superior, and not say anything about it. These injustices they faced included being forced to attend a certain school which very often contained out-of-date books, ancient equipment, and many students in small classrooms. They also couldn't sit in the same dining room as white people in restaurants, they couldn't use the same bathrooms, and black men couldn't even share the sidewalk with a white woman, they would be forced out into the street as the woman walked by. . These things were new to Emmett Till when he first encountered the South. He was different from other black boys who lived in the South. He was outgoing, had a class clown personality, and wasn't afraid of anyone. These things might have it.
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