Final answer:
Negroes lived in conditions characterized by severe discrimination and poverty, frequently residing in overcrowded and unsanitary slums with systemic discrimination practices like redlining limiting their economic opportunities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The conditions in which Negroes lived can be best described by option (b): They faced severe discrimination and poverty. Social stratification was prevalent, and racial segregation constituted a significant aspect of their lives. Negroes, or African Americans, often lived in overpopulated and unsanitary conditions akin to the slums, which were also coping with influxes of European immigrants. Additionally, systemic forms of discrimination, such as redlining and exclusion from certain neighborhoods, were commonplace. African Americans, including other mixed or non-White groups, were subject to Jim Crow laws that enforced segregation in public facilities and broadly institutionalized social inequalities. Although they built self-sufficient communities and found ways to endure the harsh realities of segregation, they were clearly distinct from the Creoles of Color, as the latter were closer to European ancestry and enjoyed certain privileges due to their status.