Mongomery AL Jim Crow-Era Segregation Plaque Designating "Colored Drinking Fountains", 1931
Civil Rights, Segregation Sign
Publication Date: 1931
Used
Hardcover
From
Max Rambod Inc, Woodland Hills, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
AbeBooks Seller since February 5, 2021
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About this Item
Description:
[African American][Segregation] Jim Crow-era segregation enforcement sign reading ""DRINKING FOUNTAIN" with arrows pointed left for "WHITE" and rights for "COLORED". Montgomery, Alabama, January 1931. Heavy rectangular plaque approx. 8" x 3" with raised lettering and location and date ("MONTGOMERY, ALA" at left; "1 JAN. 1931" at right). The surface retains some faint traces of original light-colored paint against dark, oxidized iron, with pitting, rust blooms, and mounting holes at all four corners. A Jim Crow-era plaque directing people of color to separate water fountains, demonstrating the bureaucratic precision with which racial segregation was enforced in public accommodations. Signs of this type, often installed in municipal buildings, bus terminals, rail depots, and courthouses, were strict reminders of the Jim Crow laws upheld by Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), which approved the "separate but equal" doctrine until the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The sign s explicit phrasing and directional hand communicated segregation with an immediacy intended to police Black populations and reinforce racial hierarchy. Such objects serve as material testimony to the state-sanctioned deprivation of civil rights endured by Black communities across the South. Light to moderate overall oxidation, scattered rust scaling, and pitted texture consistent with long outdoor or semi-outdoor exposure; reverse darkened with uniform corrosion. Embossed text and pointing hand remain strong and clearly legible. Overall good condition for a working municipal segregation sign of this period, structurally intact and unrestored. An artifact of Jim Crow segregation from Alabama, a powerful piece of American history demonstrating the enforcement of racial segregation. Seller Inventory # 22815
Bibliographic Details
Title: Mongomery AL Jim Crow-Era Segregation Plaque...
Publication Date: 1931
Binding: Hardcover
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