Prejudice and Discrimination

Discrimination against and segregation of African Americans intensified after Reconstruction. Certain discriminatory laws called the Jim Crow Laws forced the separation of races in public places. African Americans disagreed about how to respond to the discriminatory laws. Some African Americans, like Homer Plessy, made attempts to ignore the laws. However, the Supreme Court ruled against Plessy and found that “separate but equal” did not violate the Constitution. Other African Americans became the early civil rights leaders through different efforts.