African Americans in the Gilded Age (1865-1877)

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  • Created by: EllaBowe
  • Created on: 22-02-21 18:05

African Americans in the Gilded Age

Advantages

  • Large white populations in the Northern states meant that the black vote was seen as less of a threat and meant that black male citizens could vote
  • In the North, there were some affluent black businessmen and African-American workers did some decent jobs in industry
  • Racism and prejudice was less evident in the West, where the harsher environment meant people were often judged on their ability
  • In the West, African Americans had the chance to be treated more equally and some even gained notable status
  • Ida B. Wells (1862-1893) questioned the idea that white females were totally innocent in some alleged rapes by black men
  • Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) showed powers of administrative ability, leadership and great vision by building up a major organisation. He emphasised African-American illiteracy. He developed valuable contacts for the black race e.g. T. Roosevelt
  • Washington's Atlanta Speech (1895) said that whites should view African Americans as political and economic partners
  • Segregation and discrimination led to the creation of small black middle class who owned their own businesses
  • Funded by the black middle class 1000s of schools and churches were built across the South (e.g. in Georgia 1514 schools educated 11,000 children)
  • African-Americans created their own universities (e.g. Howard 1867, Spelman 1881 etc.) The vast majority of campaigners and some civil rights leaders were educated in these universities
  • 1886-1898 labourers tried to challenge poor conditions for farmers in the South. Th Populists creates a party and began rivalling the Democratic vote. African-Americans joined the movement (although white populists weren't very supportive of those in the movement). Black Populists organised their communities to establish farming exchanges, raise money for local schools, promote local political campaigns and support favourable candidates, lobby state governments to remove Jim Crow Laws

Disadvantages

  • Some Northern states had poll taxes and there were some instances of violence and intimidation of African-Americans during elections
  • Small scale race riots and violence took place in the North
  • In the North, promotion in integrated workplaces was still rare for African-Americans
  • In the North,Trade unions often refused to accept African-Americans
  • In the North, de facto discrimination was still common. Black people usually lived in predominantly '*****' areas because racist individuals barred them from renting or buying in other areas
  • Ida B. Wells (1862-1893) failed to gain any commitment from congress or president for a federal anti-lynching law
  • Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) critics argues that he accepted ideas of white supremacy
  • White democrat 'redeemers', who followed a policy of white supremacy,  began regaining control of Southern State governments
  • The use of sharecropping made most African-Americans dependent on former white masters who had no intention of giving them economic freedom
  • Lynching became increasingly common by the 1880s. 1882-1895 over 1200 black people were lynched in the South. Democrats constantly reinforced that black people were a dangerous, sub-human group who would destroy society
  • Jim Crow Laws in the South enforced discrimination and segregation (e.g. public schools, voting etc.)

Evaluation

An increase in lynching, the Jim Crow Laws and Supreme Court decisions suggest that African-Americans were continually isolated. However, too much emphasis on discrimination in the South and ignores the success of African- Americans in both the West and the North. This includes the creation of the Black Ivy League universities, and the success of the Black Populists. Furthermore, in the West people were often indifferent to colour in comparison to the South.

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