Which term describes segregation imposed by law?

Which term describes segregation imposed by law?

• A. De Jure Segregation
• B. De Facto Segregation
• C. Reverse Discrimination
• D. Segregation by Custom

Answer: (A)

Segregation that is required by law is de jure segregation. When the government enacts statutes, ordinances, or official policies that mandate separate facilities or services for different racial groups, that legal requirement is what de jure segregation refers to. A classic historical example is the Jim Crow system, where laws mandated separate schools, buses, and public spaces. De facto segregation, by contrast, happens in practice even without legal mandates. It arises from patterns in housing, employment, or private choices that produce separation, not because a law says so. That’s not what the question describes, since it specifies segregation imposed by law. The other options don’t fit as well. Segregation by custom describes social norms or private behavior creating separation without legal enforcement, which is the essence of de facto, not legal compulsion. Reverse discrimination is a contested term about perceived unfairness in policy, not about a legally mandated system of segregation. Segregation by custom overlaps with de facto concepts, but the key point here is the legal imposition, which is precisely de jure segregation.

Segregation that is required by law is de jure segregation. When the government enacts statutes, ordinances, or official policies that mandate separate facilities or services for different racial groups, that legal requirement is what de jure segregation refers to. A classic historical example is the Jim Crow system, where laws mandated separate schools, buses, and public spaces.

De facto segregation, by contrast, happens in practice even without legal mandates. It arises from patterns in housing, employment, or private choices that produce separation, not because a law says so. That’s not what the question describes, since it specifies segregation imposed by law.

The other options don’t fit as well. Segregation by custom describes social norms or private behavior creating separation without legal enforcement, which is the essence of de facto, not legal compulsion. Reverse discrimination is a contested term about perceived unfairness in policy, not about a legally mandated system of segregation. Segregation by custom overlaps with de facto concepts, but the key point here is the legal imposition, which is precisely de jure segregation.