The New Jim Crow: Study Questions for Introduction and Chapter 1
Read the Introduction and Chapter 1 here. and provide answers to the questions below:
Content Questions
1. What is Michelle Alexander’s main idea as expressed in the Introduction?
2. What is the rate of incarceration in the US and how does it compare to other countries?
3. What facts about drug use are important when assessing the timing of the War on Drugs?
4. What factors undermined the “Old” Jim Crow system?
5. How does Michelle Alexander assess the impact of the Clinton Presidency on African Americans?
6. What changes were taking place in the African American community and other communities of color that made them particularly vulnerable to the War on Drugs?
7. What reasons would you have for deciding that the increase in the rate of incarceration reflects the racism in US society?
8. How has reading this book excerpt changed the way you think or reinforced the way you think about the subject.
Helpful Terms Concepts to Know:
- Racialized Caste System
- Racial Bribe
- Reconstruction