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Difficulty: EasyJim Crow, Disenfranchisement, and Legal Segregation

In the decades after the Civil War, state legislatures across the South passed measures that legally required the separation of races in public accommodations and transportation. Which of the following terms best describes this system of legally enforced segregation?

  1. De jure segregationAnswer
  2. B
    De facto segregation
  3. C
    Debt peonage
  4. D
    The Great Migration

Answer

De jure segregation
The correct answer is the term for segregation enforced by law. In the post-Reconstruction South, Jim Crow laws established a system of de jure segregation, which legally mandated racial separation in schools, transportation, and other public facilities.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stem's description of a system of racial separation that is 'legally required' and 'legally enforced' by state legislatures.
Identify that the question asks for a term describing legally mandated segregation.
Understanding the definition of the target term requires distinguishing between legal (statutory) systems and customary or economic systems.
2
Differentiate between the terms 'de jure' (by law) and 'de facto' (in fact/by custom).
Confirm that 'de jure' applies to legal mandates, whereas 'de facto' applies to societal customs and practices.
This step prevents the common misconception of conflating legal segregation with customary segregation.

Key Concept

The distinction between de jure segregation (mandated by law) and de facto segregation (existing in practice), specifically in the context of the Jim Crow South.
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Topics

Jim Crow, Disenfranchisement, and Legal Segregation

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