Jim Crow Segregation in Mississippi Research Paper

Jim Crow Segregation in Mississippi - Research Paper Example The African-Americans were reduced to second class citizens. The churches claimed the whites were the chosen people and the blacks were cursed to be servants for white people. This implied that God supported segregation. The newspapers referred to blacks as Niggers, darkies, coons and even the articles and games played by children were stereotypic. Violence was used to maintain the blacks at the bottom of the hierarchy. The segregation rules came to ultimate end in 1965 when every individual was allowed full rights. This included voting but after a long tussle and struggle by the rights activists which included the civil war between the federation and the southern states (Kay 210). Essie’s family lived in a shack with two rooms. The shack was not enough for them and the conditions were dilapidating. The parents tried to make it comfortable by decorating it using mismatched wall papers with cardboard pieces stacked in the numberless cracks on the walls. The state of the house w as a clear example of the real conditions that the blacks in the southern states like Mississippi lived. The kids stayed alone at home because the parents stayed in the fields working for their white master all day. However, the wages were not even enough to fend the small families. This situation is aggravated by burning of the shack by Ed who was left to look after Essie and her siblings. Thereafter, Mae is blamed for the tragedy and thoroughly beaten (Moody 167). Mae’s father used his free time gambling although it was very difficult. This made him see another mulatto woman thus, a second marriage. Therefore, Mae was left alone to fend for the family. Later, the family decided to move to a house near a swamp. The place had several snakes which occasionally sneaked into the house. Mae’s mother was now working at a cafe for the blacks. She discovered that the place was not safe however; they could not find another cheap place to stay. They were living in such places a s a result of poverty. This poverty is aggravated by the fact that the blacks in Mississippi were discriminated in employment opportunities and land ownership. Due to the situation that Mae, Adline and Junior were facing, they yearned to ride bikes just like the other kids. They were segregated and they only had a chance to sit on the trench which indicated the level of poverty that the family had. Raymond builds a house for the family which lacks an indoor plumbing although it had water line. Mae believes that they were entitled to everything which could make them comfortable. This is evident as Mama and Essie Mae goes to the market to buy wallpapers for their new house. They also manage to purchase furniture as Essie proposes that they would buy a white post bed just like the one she had seen at Miss Ola’s place where she worked for an extra coin (Kay 178). Therein, she is reminded by the mother not to ape the whites. Her mother reiterates that she was influenced by the Cla iborne family where she spent most of the time working Raymond’s buys an old Mule to use in tilling a rented strip of land. This implied that the family was very poor and could not afford to purchase a young one which was more expensive. The piece of land that Raymond rented was very cheap and unused because he found a grenade which rendered the farm desolate and dangerous. This meant that the family could not afford to buy a piece of land. Furthermore, they could not afford to rent a more productive and safe land. The African-Americans could only