Progressive Era Reform: African Americans

Obstacles South: poverty, poor education, discrimination, lack of voting power, lynch mobs, literacy tests North: lowest paying jobs, run-down housing & schools, little political influence Result: African American communities relied on each other, and included black- owned businesses, schools, and music

Two Different Approaches

Booker T. Washington Tuskegee Institute Atlanta Exposition Speech, vocational skills Prove their economic value end racism Racism was a result of slavery “Gradualism”- patience, don’t confront oppression Up From Slavery, 1901

W.E.B. DuBois 1 st African American to graduate from Harvard Liberal arts education & demand same opportunities for blacks Racism slavery The Souls of Black Folk, 1903 Niagara Movement 1905 led to NAACP, 1909 Organized public protest and initiated legal action against racism- “confrontationalism” Called Washington “Uncle Tom”

Few Gains Made: TR blasted by critics for allowing Washington to dine at White House- TR never publicly supported blacks again Great Migration resulted in race riots in the North Lynchings continued between 1890 and 1920 Gains: –NAACP –Black illiteracy cut in half –Black ownership of land increased 10%

Madame C.J. Walker: 1 st Black Millionaire