Episode Details

In this episode, we explore how jim crow laws built a trap. Imagine waking up tomorrow and you find out that the basic rules of your existence have just been, well, completely rewritten. Yeah, it's a terrifying thought. Right. I mean, where you can walk, the water fountain you can drink from, even your ability to get a job or serve on a jury. Suddenly all of it is dictated by this massive invisible web of laws. And laws that are specifically engineered to ensure you remain a second class citizen. Exactly. And that is the reality we're looking at. If you're listening to this, you're probably wondering how a society legally constructs a trap like that. It's a huge question. And it takes a lot of legal maneuvering. Right. So today, we are taking a deep dive into the anatomy of Jim Crow. We're going to explore how this comprehensive system of institutionalized segregation was built. And how it infected literally they did, your vote was effectively nullified. It disenfranchised illiterate voters of all races, aggressively targeting both black and poor white voters who just couldn't follow the convoluted directions. The statistical result of these mechanisms was a near total political erasure. Just look at the numbers. Give me some context. In Louisiana, in the year 1900, black voters were already reduced to about 5 ,300 on the rolls. And that's despite making up the majority of the state's population. 5 ,300. That's already incredibly low. And by 1910, there were only 730 black voters registered in the entire state. 730 in the whole state of Louisiana. Yes that is less than 0 .5 % of eligible black men. In 27 of the state's 60 parishes, there wasn't a single black voter left on the rolls. Not one. That is, I mean, that's chilling. So they've successfully engineered a way to