African Americans To what extent were African-American activists effective in changing the rights of citizens? The Progressive Era: a General Overview ● 1890s - 1920s: era of widespread social reform and activism ○ Especially prevalent in urban environments ● Trust busting, prohibition, and the YMCA ○ Economic, moral, and social goals ● Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson ○ Dead white guys... African-Americans in the Progressive Era ● Somewhat overlooked in history ● Dealing with unique and personal issues ○ Integration (for them) is a goal rather than a problem ○ Rebuilding a new way of life ● Roots of the Civil Rights Movement 1885—1895: Background ● Reconstruction: rebuilding the South after “our most recent unpleasantness” ○ Civil war (and slavery) ended in 1865 ○ Racism and discrimination still existed, but slavery was over ● Until 1877, federal law was protecting blacks ○ Reconstruction/Enforcement Acts—military in the South ○ Fifteenth Amendment (1870)—right to vote ○ Election of Ulysses S. Grant in 1868 ■ 700K+ black voters 1885—1895: Background (cont.) ● However, federal law didn’t do everything for blacks ○ Violence from the KKK and white supremacist Southern Democrats (voting) ○ Social racism & discrimination continued ● Reconstruction ended with the Compromise of 1877 ○ Agreement was made for election of Republican Rutherford B. Hayes ○ Removal of federal troops from the South ● Things quickly went downhill ○ Poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, Eight Box Rule ○ Jim Crow: segregation, discrimination, and racism ○ Remember: from 1885—1895, IT WAS HAPPENING 1885—1895: Highlights of the Timeline ● 1888: Mississippi segregates their railroad cars ● 1889: Florida puts the poll tax into place ● 1892: Ida B. Wells publishes “Southern Horrors: Lynch Laws and in All its Phases” ● 1895: Booker T. Washington first to receive a PhD from Harvard ● 1882—1896: Plessy v. Ferguson ○ “Separate but equal” — overturned 50 years later Ida B. Wells — Background Biography ● Born a slave in Mississippi on July 16, 1862 ● Father James heavily involved in politics and incredibly active ● At 16, both parents and one sibling died of yellow fever ● Became a schoolteacher to support her remaining siblings ● 1882 — moved to Memphis and studied at Fisk University Ida B. Wells — The Case ● May 1884 — Wells has a first-class train ticket in a segregated state ● When she is ordered to sit in the colored car, she refuses ● Wells is forcibly removed from the train, and bites a man’s hand in the process ● She sues the company for $500 (roughly $12,000 today) ● Wins, but overruled by the state Supreme Court Ida B. Wells — Writer ● Experience both excites (1884) and angers (1887) Wells ● Begins writing for The Living Way and later for the Evening Star and Free Speech and Headlight ○ Uses the pen name “Iola” ○ Writes about blacks fighting for their rights ● Later, becomes co-owner/editor of FSH ● 1891 — fired from teaching job due to incendiary articles Ida B. Wells — Journalist and Activist ● 1892: Wells’ close friend and successful businessowner Thomas Moss and two other African-American associates are lynched in Memphis ● Moss’ murder drives Wells to become an investigative journalist ● Wells travels around the South for two months collecting data ○ Researches 728 lynchings ○ Finds the victim was rarely accused of rape Ida B. Wells — “Southern Horrors” and Activist ● 1892: Wells publishes her lynching report/pamphlet titled “Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases” ● Counters argument of sexually aggressive black men and instead shows racism ○ Editorials and pamphlet caused outrage in both racial camps for very different reasons ○ FSH offices burned down, Wells forced to move to Chicago ● Continues to fight for racial equality and rights Ida B. Wells — Activist and Later Years ● 1892: testimonial dinner raises awareness and funds ● 1893: boycott of World’s Columbian Exposition with Frederick Douglass ● 1896: helped found National Association of Colored Women ● 1898: protest in Washington, D.C. ● 1909: helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Ida B. Wells — Personality and Accomplishments ● Personality ○ Dedicated, hard-working, stubborn ○ Extremely tough and bold ○ Action-oriented ■ Left NAACP because (at the time) it wasn’t active enough ● Accomplishments ○ NAACP, NACW, “Southern Horrors,” Iola Three ‘Main’ Leaders Booker T. W.E.B. Du Bois Marcus Garvey Washington Argued that Blacks Blamed Washington Felt that Blacks were should make friends for creating a black not wanted in with whites and underclass. America and could accept their inferior Felt that Blacks never gain equality. political position. should never accept Felt that economic inequality. equality could be gained before political equality. 1895-1905 ● Booker T. Washington Speech - 1895 ○ Washington is launched into politics after giving his speech at the Atlantic Exposition ● Plessy v. Ferguson - 1896 ○ US Supreme Court decided in 1896. It upheld state racial segregation laws for public facilities under the doctrine of "separate but equal" ● Erdman Act - 1898 ○ Discrimination of railroad workers prohibited… kind of Booker T. Washington ● Political Activist ● Presidential Advisor (until death) 1890-1915 ○ Benjamin Harrison, Grover Cleveland, William Mckinley, Theodore Roosevelt ● Conservative ○ Suffrage ● Believed Blacks should strive for economic freedom ● Pragmatism - practicality over idealism Pre-Politics ● 1856 - Born into Slavery ● Educated from a young age ● Hampton Institute ● Founder of the Tuskegee Institute ○ Aimed to creating black teachers “We can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.” Politics ● Presidential Advisor (until death) 1890-1915 ● Wanted to make allies with Upper Class Businessmen ○ Both Whites and Blacks ● Rarely talked against racism ○ Letters against Jim Crow in secrecy and code names ● Reform was economic-freedom oriented Marcus Garvey ● Born in Jamaica ● Aimed to unify Africans everywhere ○ Biggest impact in US ● Started Universal Negro Improvement Association ○ Largest black secular organization in African-American history ○ United States, Caribbean, and Africa ○ Aimed to provide social and economic benefits for members W. E. B. Du Bois ● Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts ○ 1868-1963 ● Grew up in a relatively tolerant and integrated community ● A Civil Rights Activist, Pan-Africanist, and Author ● Views ○ Black nationalism and socialism ● Pioneered advocacy of Pan-Africanism Education ● Completed Graduate work at University of Berlin and Harvard ● First African American to earn a doctorate ● Went on to become a professor at Atlanta University ○ History ○ Sociology ○ Economics NAACP ● National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ○ Co-Founder ○ Formed in 1909 Its Mission- To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination Niagara Movement ● Rose as leader of Niagara Movement ○ Group of African-American activists who wanted equal rights for blacks ● Opposed Atlanta Compromise ○ Agreement crafted by Booker T. Washington ● Southern blacks would work to white political rule ● Guaranteed blacks basic educational opportunities The Souls of Black Folk ● Collection of Essays ● Published in 1903 ● Based from his own experiences ● Each chapter begins with a pair of epigraphs ○ Text from a poem, and the musical score of a spiritual ○ Du Bois describes in his foreword as "some echo of haunting melody from the only American music which welled up from black souls in the dark past” African Americans from 1915 to 1925 Legislation during this time period ● 1915 - In Guinn v. The United States, the Supreme Court rules against Grandfather Clauses that denied African Americans the rights to vote. ● 1917 - In Buchanan v. Warley the United States Supreme court upholds the fact that racially segregated housing would and was in violation of the 14th amendment. ● 1923 – In Moore v. Dempsey the United States Supreme Court decide that mob dominated trials violate the Due Process Clause of the 14th amendment. Birth of nations released on February 8th 1915 ● This film was a dramatized portrayal of the American Civil War and Reconstruction era, it had Union and Confederate actors and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. ● It was a success but had major backlash from the black community as it portrayed the KKK as heroes and leaders. ● This led to the release of a film titled “Intolerance” the next year by D.W. Griffith… which you may think was about the KKK in his previous film and an “apology” but really was about the black community being intolerant to how he portrayed the KKK. ● The Birth of Nations and Intolerance are both regarded as a masterpieces of the silent era of film despite the criticism for the story. The Great Migration ● Starting around the 1915 to 1916s and spanning until 1940, African Americans started moving from the Southern United States to the Northern United States as well as the Midwestern United States. ● This migration was spurred on by segregation in the south as well as widespread lynching and lack of opportunity within the south. ● The north even sent labor agents down to recruit southern workers who more then not happened to be African American by offering free transportation and low cost housing. 1925 Ku Klux Klan march ● On August 8th 1925th nearly 35 thousand Ku Klux Klan members marched on Washington D.C.