What type of laws were the Jim Crow laws?

The Jim Crow laws were designed to enforce racial segregation in the Southern United States from the late 19th century until the civil rights movement in the 1960s. These laws institutionalized a range of discriminatory practices that maintained the social, economic, and political disadvantage of African Americans. They mandated separate facilities, such as schools, transportation, and public restrooms, for whites and blacks, effectively promoting a culture of inequality and disenfranchisement.

The context of these laws includes the establishment of a racially divided society and a legal framework that supported discriminatory attitudes and actions. The Jim Crow laws emerged after the Reconstruction era, following the abolition of slavery, and they were characterized by their explicit intent to maintain white supremacy in all aspects of life. Thus, the identification of these laws as ones that enforced segregation accurately reflects their foundational purpose and impact on American society.