Which laws were enacted to enforce racial segregation in the southern United States?

The laws enacted to enforce racial segregation in the southern United States are known as Jim Crow Laws. These laws were established in the late 19th and early 20th centuries following the Reconstruction era and were designed to maintain white supremacy and institutionalize racial discrimination against African Americans.

Jim Crow Laws mandated the separation of races in public spaces, including schools, transportation, restrooms, and restaurants, effectively creating a system of legalized racial segregation. They were named after a minstrel character and served to reinforce the inequalities that emerged after the abolition of slavery.

In contrast, the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act were significant pieces of legislation aimed at eliminating racial discrimination and protecting the rights of African Americans, working against the very segregation enforced by Jim Crow Laws. The Emancipation Proclamation, issued during the Civil War, declared the freedom of slaves in Confederate states, but it did not address the systems of segregation that were later institutionalized by Jim Crow.