This talk will give a brief introduction to the beginning of the Jim Crow era in America. Jim Crow laws were introduced to deny African Americans the right to vote, hold jobs, have access to education as well as other opportunities. We will examine the introduction of Jim Crow laws tracing them from their roots immediately following the ratification of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States. We will examine why the laws were introduced, how they were expanded over time and the impact they had on the African American community in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.