Blacks and Whites

In modern America, we've grown accustomed to the idea that Blacks are entitled to all the rights of white Americans. The Civil Rights Act is 70 years old, and talented and articulate Blacks are all around.

Yet 100 years ago, Americans are broadly agreed that Blacks are best kept quarantined in black ghettos, where they pose no threat. There is no point trying to mix white with black. They don't mix.

But this is more than just a belief. It appears to be backed up with solid fact. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is widely accepted as proof that Blacks are only half-human. The other half is ape.
Segregation and Sundown towns, 1920s

  Segregation is the Answer
This leads to a widespread pattern of segregation of the races, which is nearly as acceptable in northern Minnesota as in southern Mississippi. Blacks are effectively limited to buying property only in districts which already contain Blacks. Public rest rooms, waiting rooms, and even water fountains are created in duplicate. One set for Whites, the other for Blacks.

Darwinism and Jim Crow, 1920s

  Science Muddies the Picture
Darwin's evolution theory is stretched to explain why Blacks are inferior. They have been left behind by simple human evolution. Cartoon portrayals of Blacks (lower right) reinforce this belief, although Darwin himself believes that all human races belong to a single species. This includes Blacks.  A more vexing problem is how to treat people of mixed heritage. The seemingly 'white' man shown above (center) has one-eighth black blood. Is he thus tainted as inferior?


Tulsa race riot, 1921

  Backlash Against Successful Blacks
Inevitably, Whites sometimes take things too far, which is tragically the case in Tulsa, Oklahoma. When it's over, the entire section where prosperous Blacks had been living has burned to the ground, while surrounding white areas are left untouched. Although it's a headline event all across America, there is no mention of it in the press within Tulsa itself. Amazingly, Tulsa manages to erase almost all memory of the incident for 100 years, even among long-time residents, until a TV documentary is finally aired.