Segregation laws, often referred to as 'Jim Crow laws' in the United States, were state and local statutes that enforced racial segregation and discrimination primarily against African Americans from the late 19th century until the mid-20th century. These laws institutionalized a system of inequality and disenfranchisement, affecting various aspects of life including education, employment, housing, and voting rights, and were eventually dismantled through civil rights activism and landmark legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.