Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuboisTwo Paths to Ending Jim Crow
13th – Ended slavery 14th – Granted citizenship to former slaves 15th – Gave African American men the right
to ovte
Civil War Amendments
Disenfranchisement of African Americans Grandfather clauses Poll tax Literacy tests Intimidation and fear
Evolution of Jim Crow Laws
Transportation Schools Libraries Drinking fountains Morgues and Funeral Parlors
Jim Crow Laws: Systematic State-Level Legal Codes of Segregation
The Case: Homer Plessy, 1/8th black, was arrested for sitting in the “white car” of a Louisiana train in violation of that state’s “Separate Car Act”
The case was appealed to Supreme Court
Plessy v. Ferguson
The Ruling: Separate facilities were lawful as long as they were equal
Only one dissenter, Justice John Harlan, wrote “Our Constitution is color blind.”
Supreme Court Ruling (1896)
The result: Legalized Jim Crow segregation until 1954 (Brown v. Board of Education)
Plessy v. Ferguson
Booker T. Washington W.E.B. DuBois
Two African American Leaders, Two Diverse Backgrounds, Two Sets of Beliefs
Born a slave in southwestern Virginia Believed in vocational education for blacks Founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama Believed in gradual equality Accused of being an “Uncle Tom”
Uncle Tom was the main character in Uncle Tom’s cabin Term came to mean one who was excessively
subservient Wrote Up From Slavery (1901)
Booker T. Washington
Outlined his views on race at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta – “Atlanta Compromise”
Felt that black people should work to gain economic security before equal rights
Believed black people should “earn” equality by demonstrating their skills
Developed programs for job training and vocational skills at Tuskegee Institute
Asked whites to give job opportunities to black people Was popular with white leaders in the North and South
But unpopular with other black leaders Associated with members of the Urban League, which
emphasized jobs and training for blacks
Born in 1868 in Massachusetts First African American to received a Ph.D. from
Harvard Wanted immediate quality between blacks and
whites Wanted classical education for blacks Wrote The Souls of Black Folk (1903) Involved in the Niagara Movement, which led to
the NAACP
W.E.B. DuBois
Strongly opposed to Washington’s tolerance of segregation
Demanded immediate equality for blacks Felt it was wrong for citizens to have to “earn
their rights”