The Progressive Era And Race: Reaction And Reform, By David W. Southern
The introduction of The Progressive Era and Race: Reaction and Reform, by David W. Southern, opens with his representation of the Progressive Era and the subsequent American shift from emancipation to segregation that occurred during it. The author uses social history to examine and demonstrate his subject. He argues that “the nation was in fact caught up in a powerful tide of white supremacy at home and imperialism against people of color abroad.” Southern discusses the hopes and expectations of the emancipated and subsequent generations alongside the failures of the Progressive movement. Chapter titles provide a glimpse of his discussion into the restructuring of the American social hierarchy. Such titles also reflect the restriction within
the work to seventeen very specific years considered by Southern as the Progressive Era. It is not until closing his introduction that the author explains his choice to focus on when the Progressive Era was at its height, 1900 through 1917.
Supporting his earliest examination of progressives, Southern quotes a Kansas journalist. In each paragraph thereafter there is some hint, reference to, or quote from various sources. More than just referencing journalists, the author considers scholars, historians, and political and community leaders. Such a wide array demonstrates both objectivity and the author’s lack of bias. There is no evidence of pandering to an either side of the “color line” while demonstrating a candid examination of the wins and losses of the Progressive Era.
Southern addresses both white supremacy and the hope and success of African Americans during the Progressive Era. The author’s approach allows each topic to support his thesis. Following a study of the ‘scientific’ rationalizations and social climate of discrimination, Southern demonstrates the reach of white supremacy as including notables Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. The author’s interpretation is that white supremacy through the construction and maintenance of “color-lines” struggled against actions taken by and reactions of the “New Negro.” The depth given to the rise of white supremacy throughout the introduction underlies the struggles of African Americans. In his work, Southern brackets racism with the possibilities of the Progressive movement and the defiant success of many African Americans. Further Southern posits that the inaction of certain Progressives allowed success and symbolism to resist racism in their stead.
the work to seventeen very specific years considered by Southern as the Progressive Era. It is not until closing his introduction that the author explains his choice to focus on when the Progressive Era was at its height, 1900 through 1917.
Supporting his earliest examination of progressives, Southern quotes a Kansas journalist. In each paragraph thereafter there is some hint, reference to, or quote from various sources. More than just referencing journalists, the author considers scholars, historians, and political and community leaders. Such a wide array demonstrates both objectivity and the author’s lack of bias. There is no evidence of pandering to an either side of the “color line” while demonstrating a candid examination of the wins and losses of the Progressive Era.
Southern addresses both white supremacy and the hope and success of African Americans during the Progressive Era. The author’s approach allows each topic to support his thesis. Following a study of the ‘scientific’ rationalizations and social climate of discrimination, Southern demonstrates the reach of white supremacy as including notables Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. The author’s interpretation is that white supremacy through the construction and maintenance of “color-lines” struggled against actions taken by and reactions of the “New Negro.” The depth given to the rise of white supremacy throughout the introduction underlies the struggles of African Americans. In his work, Southern brackets racism with the possibilities of the Progressive movement and the defiant success of many African Americans. Further Southern posits that the inaction of certain Progressives allowed success and symbolism to resist racism in their stead.