Equal Rights For African Americans In The 1900's

Civil Rights for African Americans in the 1900’s

Camila Martinez
14-8045
Ensayo Academico
Ofelia Berrido

Universidad Iberoamericana
December 4, 2013

Booker T. Washington once said to wait and work your way to the top. This being said, every single day an African American does their job correctly and end up achieving less than a regular white person. In the 1900’s a man would die for seeing comedy, a child would die because of malnourishment, and a woman would be violated and abused by a man. These average African Americans were tired of waiting. W. E.B De Bois knew what these people wanted, they wanted results, they wanted to see a change in their society. The problem was, that there was
no way to achieve these results if we are just stuck in the same issue for such a large amount of time. W.E.B De Bois knew the true ideals of an average African American, which were reaching for more, and achieving these results. They were done settling for the minimum.
The 1900’s was a period of migrating from the South to the North.
This movement was a transition period from going from the worst circumstances in life possible to actually being able to feel like a normal human being. While in the North, African Americans were able to go to work, use the bus, and walk down the street without asking themselves “Will I Die Today?” They were also able to vote like any one else in society without being threatened. Moreover, still being in the north, they had to face discrimination and rejections because of their race. This period was a complete impact and an emotional shock for many of these African Americans. Some made the decisions to leave their whole life, their home, family, and friends and went to migrate to an unfamiliar place without any personal knowledge of what to expect in order to live a normal peaceful
life.
Statistically, by 1950, the African American population took over the United States. Their migrations were increasing more and more each year. Although they chose to disperse through the western and northern regions of the U.S. the statistics show that the mayor density of the African American population chose to migrate to the northern areas of the U.S. “By 1950, the black population comprised approximately eleven percent of the population of the United States, while black migrants comprised forty percent of the population in several of the U.S. major cities. This 1950 map shows counties with 500 or more blacks and their distribution, and graphically represents how the black population had become concentrated in northern cities during the first half of the twentieth century.
Distribution of Negro Population by County: Showing each County with 500 Negro Population, 1950 Samuel Fitzsimmons United States Department of Commerce”.
For many African Americans life in the South wasn’t improving. The North seemed to be their safe zone. African Americans could vote in North and in the South. But it was dangerous because the KKK would not only threaten but kill people. “In the South, intense racism and intimidation tactics towards African Americans sometimes resulted in violence and even lynching’s, or hangings. Between 1900 and 1920, 75 lynching’s occurred per year. To make matters worse, lynching’s were rarely investigated by law enforcement”. Another dangerous factor was the grandfather clause, which prevented many African Americans from voting in the south. Another way African Americans were excluded from voting was the grandfather clause. “The grandfather clause said that if a man 's grandfather was a voter before 1867, he did not have to pass voting requirements, such as property ownership or literacy tests that were currently in place. The grandfather clause essentially allowed poor, uneducated whites to vote, but denied African Americans the right to vote”.
In addition, African Americans were able to use some of the same facilities that white people used when they lived in the south. Their appeared to be less segregation and African American were beginning to be treated more like the white man sitting next to them in the north. There were many reasons why so many African Americans left the south but the biggest reason was “Change.” To them, change meant an improvement in every thing. they could improve in their work which means get promotions, get better pay, there were unions to help them fit into the north without loosing much sleep. Even though there were unions to help African Americans, there was still discrimination because if they could chose between a white man who missed a day of work and a black man which came every time asked, in most cases they would choose the white man. Change also means feeling and being treated like a human being.
There were many views on the topic of civil rights for African Americans. Out of the ten Progressive figures only three of them shared and cared about giving civil rights to African Americans. Jane Addams was the co-founder for the NAACP, which stands for National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She believed that everyone should have the right to live freely and do what he or she wanted and pleasure without being stopped by the color of their skin. “The NAACP 's principal objective is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority group citizens of United States and eliminate race prejudice. The NAACP seeks to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through the democratic processes.
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B De Bois were two very intelligent men who fought for the same thing. They fought for the same beliefs but with very different perspectives. W.E.B De Bois knew what the society of African Americans needed to have power in the United States and around the world. Booker T. Washington’s philosophy was to take baby steps, be really good at what the job, and work your way to the top of the mountain, instead of starting at the top with no idea of what will come. “Booker T. Washington, educator, reformer and the most influential black leader of his time (1856-1915) preached a philosophy of self-help, racial solidarity and accommodation. He urged blacks to accept discrimination for the time being and concentrate on elevating themselves through hard work and material prosperity”.
W.E.B De Bois was the Co-Founder of the NAACP; he also was the leader of the north for civil rights.
He asked for everything, which meant equal civil rights, the right to go to college and to have higher education, among other things. He wanted these matters to take place for African Americans so that their voices would be heard and at the same equally accepted. He asked for the right to be able to attend college because African Americans shouldn’t be denied the right to learn and achieve their goals. W.E.B. Du Bois, a towering black intellectual, scholar and political thinker (1868-1963) said no--Washington 's strategy would serve only to perpetuate white oppression. Du Bois advocated political action and a civil rights agenda. In addition, he argued that social change could be accomplished by developing the small group of college-educated blacks he called "the Talented Tenth:" Bois was tired of seeing African Americans in the background of the picture. Overall, both of these civil leaders fought for the same ideal, but with different tactics. W.E.B De Bois was more demanding in order to get things done. This is why he had the best tactic for such a complex situation because people will always listen to others when they have a strong voice and are not afraid to give their
opinion.
In conclusion, the South was an overall bad and overwhelming place for African Americans to be. Their only escape rout was the migrating towards the north. Life there was a large improvement for many. All this population needed to move forward was the progress of achieving civil rights. Strong public figures took notice in what they were asking and tried to reason with them and do everything possible in their control. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois were the most abundant fighters in achieving the civil rights for African Americans.
References:
July 23, 2010. The African- American Mosaic. A library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History & Culture. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/afam008.html African Americans in the Progressive Era: Issued & Leaders. Education Portal. http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/african-americans-in-the-progressive-era-issues-leaders.html#lesson.

NAACP: 100 Years of History. NAACP. http://www.naacp.org/pages/naacp-history.
Booker T. & W.E.B. The debate between W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. FRONTLINE. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/race/etc/road.html