HANDOUT #3
NAME_________________________________
from Coming of Age in Mississippi
by Anne Moody
Background
The South’s system of segregation was first established under the Jim Crow laws of 1890s, which
made life for African-Americans citizens oppressive, dehumanizing, and second class. ("Jim
Crow" was a term used in the South to refer to African Americans.)
In the South, state and local governments passed Jim Crow laws that sought to completely
separate the social lives of blacks and whites. These laws established separate public and private
schools, restaurants, transportation, hospitals, and other facilities. For example, in 1905 Georgia
passed legislation that setup separate parks for blacks and whites. In 1909 an Alabama city made
it illegal for blacks to appear in public after 10:00 P.M. In South Carolina, Jim Crow laws made it
illegal for blacks to share work areas with whites in textile mills. A number of states even required
that their city courts have separate bibles for swearing in black and white witnesses.
In addition to these degrading laws of physical separation, Southern whites required blacks to
strictly adhere to certain laws of social "etiquette" whenever the races had to interact. Whites
expected blacks to behave as inferiors, always properly addressing whites as "Mr." "Mrs." Or
"Miss." (Blacks always were to be called "boy" or "girl," regardless of their age or status.)
Southern blacks also learned never to question or disrespect whites, simply because they could
face extreme punishment. Between 1885 and 1900, for example, more than 2,500 African
Americans throughout the South were killed by white lynch mobs for "etiquette violations." The
South’s strict system of forced racial division caused many African Americans to live in constant
fear, hopelessness, and torment.
In this selection, Anne Moody describes her painful struggles as a young girl, as she tried to find
herself amid the hopelessness and extreme violence that her small segregationist Mississippi
town imposed on her and on its other black citizens.
Vocabulary
1. unanimous—the quality or state of being in agreement.
2. dissension—disagreement.
3. mulatto—a person of mixed white and black ancestry.
4. inconspicuous—not readily noticeable.
5. resentment—indignation or ill will felt as a result of a real or imagined grievance.
6. expletive—an exclamation that is profane, vulgar, or obscene.
7. quarters—a specific district or section, as of a city.
8. whiff—a slight, gentle gust of air.
9. roundabout—indirect; circuitous.
10. kerosene—a thin oil used as fuel.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS (answer on the lines provided)
from Coming of Age in Mississippi
by Anne Moody
1. Who is responsible for Jerry’s beating? What could Jerry’s family do about the assault? Why?
2. Describe and explain Moody’s reaction to the Taplin house burning. In your opinion, what
aspect of the event is most disturbing for her?
3. What is said to be the official cause of the Taplin fire? What factors suggest this to be untrue?
4. What is "the Guild"? What purpose do you think it serves in the community?
Essay Question (answer on your own notebook paper – one page in length)
• Explain Moody’s declaration, "I was sick of pretending, sick of selling my feelings for a dollar a
day." What other aspects of daily life "sickened" African Americans enough to attempt to
empower themselves through the Civil Rights Movement?