Final answer:
Jim Crow laws were enacted to enforce racial segregation and to maintain white supremacy in the American South after Reconstruction, mandating segregation in public facilities and restricting African American voting rights. They were in effect until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Jim Crow laws were a series of oppressive statutes enacted primarily in the American South following the end of Reconstruction, with the intent to enforce racial segregation and perpetuate white supremacy. These laws were named after a racist caricature that symbolized the mockery of African Americans during the 19th century. The Jim Crow system created a legal framework for discriminating against African Americans in public facilities, employment, and the voting process, all grounded in the fallacious notion of "separate but equal."
Notable aspects of these laws included mandates like segregating schools and public transportation, prohibiting interracial marriage, and restricting voting rights through poll taxes and literacy tests. This legal regime normalized discrimination and unequal treatment until it was dismantled by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which formally outlawed racial discrimination in voting and public accommodations.