Intro: victims of white supremacist actions (lynching)
Successful African Americans -Thomas Moss a grocer, death by lynching Individuals who had crossed the “color lines” -petty crimes against whites, conflicts with white business
owners, being “not properly submissive”, assault -accusations of rape/attempted rape were placed upon
African American men (less than 25% were true) -insulting a white person, theft, interracial relationships
-A Light in August by William Faulkner Ida B. Wells-Barnett- anti-lynching crusader
Washington v. Du Bois (1903)
Booker T. Washington Born in slavery Believed in temporarily
accepting segregation to avoid violence
Supported colleges (Tuskegee Institute) and schools for teaching, agriculture, and industrial arts- which would bring security in the economy and a steady middle-class for African Americans (challenging Jim Crow)
W.E.B Du Bois Born in New-England
(Harvard grad) Intolerant of segregation and
believed that there was no reason for a gradual movement towards civil rights
Felt strongly that African Americans should have the right to vote- “color discrimination = barbarism”
Favored the idea of a well educated African American elite group to lead Jim Crow resistance
The Souls of Black Folk
Women Against Jim Crow“Lifting as we climb” By 1900, more African American women were
educated compared to men ‘Black women’s clubs’ (usually based in local church
groups) and ‘self help organizations’ were formed by the working women of the community
-led efforts with reform agenda: anti- lynching, female suffrage, higher education availability- “Black Women’s Club Movement”
Association of Colored Women (NACW) 1896- Mary Church Terrell president – 1,000 clubs across the nation
Black Parent Teachers Association, White Rose Industrial Mission, National association of Wage Earners, etc.
National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Integrated association founded by W.E.B. Du Bois in 1909 Primary voice in resisting Jim Crow Laws The Crisis by W.E.B. Dubois is a detailed report of lynches to throw
the public away form lynching 1909-1936 worked on civil liberties of blacks , representing black
criminals and challenging exclusion of blacks from juries Civil rights activism in NAACP overthrew the “separate but equal”
decision in Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education and overruling the Grandfathers clause of Oklahoma ( Guinn vs. US)
Other cases included Moore vs. Dempsey 1923, Buchanan vs. Warley 1917 , and Smith vs. Alright 1945
Ralph Bunche wrote Journal of Negro Education to agree with Du Bois decision to resign - led Bunche to organize the National Negro Congress in 1936
Marcus Garvey Influenced by Booker T. Washington’s self- help philosophy African Americans should look to their origin of Africa people Formed UNIA in Jamaica came to the U.S. with his arrival especially
Harlem Had a meeting with KKK members and fully understood their position Referred all whites as Klansmen Disliked by NAACP and U.S. government and many black leaders
because of beliefs –led to arrest and deportation from U.S. Influence Malcolm X
Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)
Ceremonial tactics of the Catholic Church, Mormons, and Masons provided appeal – messages were in religious sermon form
African Legionaries and Black Cross Nurses supported the UNIA
Garvey’s newspaper the Negro World provided stories of blacks and proclaimed the idea of “Back to Africa” – program that aimed to liberate Africa from Europe and led to Black Star Line to bring black people to Southern Liberia (Tanzania)