Ch 11, Sec 3: The Rise of Segregation

Objectives Discuss how African Americans in the South were disfranchised and how segregation was legalized. Describe three major African American leaders’ responses to discrimination

African Americans in the late 1800s Lived in virtual slavery in the South Sharecroppers-rent the land by paying landowner a portion of their crops In debt Uneducated Many left the south for a better life

Exodus to Kansas 1879-Benjamin Singleton took 1000s of African Americans to Kansas to live Known as Exodusters

African Americans Join New Alliances Joined poor whites in the Farmers’ Alliance Created The Colored Farmers’ National Alliance in Texas 1.2 million members in 4 years Wanted to challenge the Democratic Party in the South

Southern Democrats Fight Back Feared poor whites teaming up with African Americans Started using racism to make poor whites rethink their alliances Started making it harder for African Americans to vote

New Voting Requirements 15th Amendment says everyone can vote Southerners required people to take literacy tests, own property, or pay a poll tax of $2 to vote Only applied to African Americans 1890-1900 LA-130,000 down to 5,300 AL-181,00 down to 3,700

Grandfather Clause Problem: Poor whites who could not read, pay the poll tax, or own land could not vote Grandfather clause-said poor whites who had a relative on the voting books in 1867 could vote Allowed poor whites to vote but still kept out former slaves

African Americans in the North Separated by segregation Kept down through Jim Crow Laws http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/links/misclink/examples/

1883 Supreme Court Ruling Overturned by Civil Rights Act of 1875 Said states could not violate a person’s rights based on race Allowed private businesses to practice segregation Hotels, swimming pools, bathrooms, restaurants, water fountains, RR cars

Plessy V. Ferguson Homer Plessy (African American) arrested in LA for riding on the whites only RR car Plessy said his rights were violated Judge Ferguson said the law was constitutional 1896-Supreme Court heard the case and said “separate but equal” was legal Legal racism through the 1960s

Mob Violence in the South African Americans were targeted in the South 187 lynchings took place each year by 1900 80% in the South 70% were African Americans Public venues for the whole town to witness or could be private acts

Ida B. Wells African American in Tennessee Wrote articles against lynching in newspapers Was forced to move to Chicago but continued her cause Tried to get an anti-lynching law passed-failed Helped to reduce the number of lynchings in the U.S.

Booker T. Washington Wanted African Americans to strive for Economic goals Gave a speech known as the Atlanta Compromise Encouraged African Americans to become educated and learn new trades to get equality Created the Tuskegee Institute

W.E.B. Du Bois Believed that no matter how much education and success was achieved by African Americans, they would still not be equal Said African Americans needed full voting rights Started the NAACP Inspired the roots for the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s