Why are Jim Crow laws called that?

Answer 1

It's not entirely clear how Jim Crow, the character that popularized blackface minstrelsy in the 19th century, became associated with these laws, but the of use of this symbol says everything about the nature and intention of the laws. By the late 1830s “Jim Crow” had become a pejorative epithet for African Americans, though arguably it was neither as pervasive nor as hostilely derisive as some other terms

From the late 1870s until the triumphs of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and ’60s, regimented racial segregation blighted America’s water fountains, restrooms, restaurants, lodging, and transportation, along with “separate but equal” schools. All of these were legally sanctioned by the U.S. Supreme Court (Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896) and codified by so-called Jim Crow laws.

Jim Crow is thought to have been first presented about 1830 by Thomas Dartmouth (“Daddy”) Rice, an itinerant white actor. Rice was not the first performer to don rags and use burnt cork to blacken his face to present a mocking exaggerated imitation of an African American, but he was the MOST FAMOUS, and his success helped establish minstrelsy as a popular theatrical form that thrived from about 1850 to 1870.

Rice first introduced the character who would become known as Jim Crow between acts of a play called 'The Kentucky Rifle', in which he performed a ludicrous off-balance dance while singing “Jump Jim Crow,” which described his actions (“Weel about and turn about and do jis so/Eb’ry time I weel about I jump Jim Crow”). He portrayed the character principally as a dim-witted buffoon; in the process, Rice not only created the template for other staple minstrel show characters, but he also fed on, heightened, and popularized pernicious stereotypes of African Americans even as his presentation reflected white fascination with Black culture.

Another possible part/”theory” on the history of how the Jim Crow name came about is as follows (BUT AGAIN, being because the Crow is a bird of the same color [while sounding logical] seems to have NO HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE ANYWHERE that can be found, w/exception to the "Top Answer"):

Slaves and the Crow of Symbolism:

Life on a plantation was very harsh to say the least and slaves often tried to lift their spirits by singing.

Many among them came from West Africa where the crow has positive connotations.

It is a symbol of good luck, the Yorubas for instance believe that hurting a crow bring misery into one’s life.

In the Yoruba culture, there is a folk tale about “Jim”, a crow who is acting foolish to get what he wants.

It is not far fetched to state that various slaves who came from this part of Africa shared this tale with others. It ultimately became a song that could be heard in various fields among the slaves

Answer 2

This name Jim Crow was given to a stereotypical "black man" (Negro), from the black color of crows. The Jim Crow laws were those that disenfranchised or subjugated African-Americans during the period of legal racial segregation in the South (roughly 1870s to 1960s).

Answer 3

This name Jim Crow was given to a stereotypical "black man" (Negro), from the black color of crows. The Jim Crow laws were those that disenfranchised or subjugated African-Americans during the period of legal racial segregation in the South (roughly 1870s to 1960s).