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The second-class citizenship of Black individuals in the South by 1900 was a result of a deeply entrenched system of racial discrimination and segregation that developed after the Civil War and during the Reconstruction Era. Jim Crow Laws and Legal Segregation: After the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877), Southern states began implementing Jim Crow laws, which were a series of state and local laws that enforced racial segregation and discrimination. These laws mandated separate facilities for Black and white individuals in public spaces like schools, transportation, restrooms, and even cemeteries. This legal framework systematically enforced the idea of "separate but equal" facilities, even though the facilities designated for Black individuals were often of inferior quality. The concentration of Jim Crow laws in the South was a result of a complex interplay of historical, economic, social, and political factors. The legacy of slavery, the desire to maintain white dominance, and the absence of strong federal intervention all contributed to the development and persistence of Jim Crow laws in the Southern states. The Jim Crow system emerged as a result of white resistance to racial equality, the desire to maintain white supremacy, legal precedents like the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, social and cultural attitudes, violence and intimidation, and economic exploitation. This system of racial segregation and discrimination persisted until the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century aimed to dismantle it and secure equal rights for all citizens.