State Historical Society of Iowa

Segregated Cafe Near the Tobacco Market in Durham, North Carolina, May 1940

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Segregated Cafe Near the Tobacco Market in Durham, North Carolina, May 1940
Courtesy of Library of Congress, Delano, Jack, "A cafe near the tobacco market, Durham, North Carolina," May 1940

Description

Segregation is separation and could happen in restaurants, at drinking water fountains, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, riding on a bus or in the rental or purchase of a home. After the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in America, Jim Crow laws were created to separate people based on the color of their skin. The photograph is of a segregated cafe near the tobacco market in Durham, North Carolina in May 1940.

Source-Dependent Questions

  • Why would the southern states enact Jim Crow laws, to keep people separated based on the color of their skin?
  • Compare this photo to the segregated bus station and the segregated movie house. What is similar between the photos? What is different?

Citation Information 

Delano, Jack, "A cafe near the tobacco market, Durham, North Carolina," May 1940. Courtesy of Library of Congress