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Difficulty: MediumJim Crow, Disenfranchisement, and Legal Segregation

Read the excerpt below from the majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court in the Civil Rights Cases (1883):

"Individual invasion of individual rights is not the subject-matter of the [Fourteenth] amendment... It does not authorize Congress to create a code of municipal law for the regulation of private rights; but to provide modes of redress against the operation of State laws, and the action of State officers..."

Which of the following best describes the historical consequence of the legal reasoning expressed in this excerpt?

  1. A
    It mandated that agricultural labor agreements be overseen by federal agents to protect Black sharecroppers from exploitation by private landowners.
  2. B
    It outlawed de facto segregation in northern states while leaving Southern state-mandated segregation intact.
  3. It permitted private businesses and individuals to legally discriminate based on race, establishing a critical legal foundation for the Jim Crow system.Answer
  4. D
    It led directly to the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment to close constitutional loopholes regarding private voting discrimination.

Answer

The ruling permitted private businesses and individuals to legally discriminate based on race, establishing a critical legal foundation for the Jim Crow system.
The correct answer is correct because the Supreme Court's ruling in the Civil Rights Cases (1883) established the 'state action doctrine,' declaring that the Fourteenth Amendment only prohibited discrimination by state governments, not by private citizens or businesses. This meant that the federal Civil Rights Act of 1875 was unconstitutional, giving legal protection to private owners of hotels, theaters, and transport systems who chose to segregate, thereby laying the groundwork for the Jim Crow era.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the provided historical source excerpt.
The Court asserts that the Fourteenth Amendment applies only to 'State action' and does not authorize Congress to regulate 'private rights' or individual actions.
Understanding the core legal argument of the Civil Rights Cases (1883) is necessary to determine its historical impact.
2
Connect the Court's state-action doctrine to the rise of segregation.
By exempting private individuals and businesses from federal civil rights legislation, the ruling allowed widespread discrimination in public accommodations.
This shows how the legal reasoning of the Supreme Court facilitated the legal and social exclusion of African Americans.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that matches this consequence.
The option stating that it permitted private businesses and individuals to legally discriminate matches the legal outcome of the case.
Identifying the option that correctly describes the growth of Jim Crow via private segregation confirms the correct answer.

Key Concept

The legal foundation of Jim Crow segregation and the distinction between state action and private discrimination.
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Topics

Jim Crow, Disenfranchisement, and Legal Segregation

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