Woodward’s use of the phrase, “magical formula of white supremacy,” refers to how African Americans would constantly be used for the benefit of white people. It was less about white people actually being racist to black people, but more about political gain. The ‘magical formula of white supremacy’ is something that happened after the failed reconstruction by which the conservatives and radicals would reconcile in the south because now there was no strong opposition from the north. The white people in the south would continue to assert the dominance over the black population through oppressive laws even though the African Americans were free people. Whites not only believed they were superior but also the that the belief itself is beneficial to the structure of power. That is what is meant when Woodward states “magical formula of white supremacy”.
The way this formula was applied by was basically tearing down black people to make them look unqualified to vote. “the first step in applying the formula was the total disfranchisement of the blacks.” (66) Applying the “formula” came in many different forms according to The Strange Career of Jim Crow. The first form was to strip away all the rights African Americans had already been granted. The point of taking away these rights and privileges was to guarantee that going forward, that “white factions would violate the white man’s peace be rallying the Negro’s support against the other.” Taking away these rights and privileges would also serve as a progressive reform. This progressive reform would purge Southern elections of the corruption that had shamed them until this point. The disgrace that resulted from this corruption were appreciated more than the proposed reform. Many rules were put into place to make it very difficult for African American’s vote. Poll taxes, which required a payment to be paid before voting, made it difficult for African’s to vote as well as poor whites. They also required that people be able to read in order to vote, known that African Americans did not receive the education needed to have the ability to read.
The ultimate goal of this movement was to continue to keep a hierarchy and overcome opposition. Woodward stated in The Strange Career of Jim Crow that these Jim Crow laws were to keep the races separated. The disenfranchisement of African American’s right was also a way to keep the races separated and to make African Americans feel as though they were inferior to the white race. The laws that required certain abilities to be able to vote including poll taxes, literacy tests, and acquire property were all passed to cause separation and were also used as a form of discrimination. The discrimination was used to show white supremacy.
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