African Americans Civil Rights in the Gilded Age

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Positive View of the Gilded Age
In the face of discrimination, AA's took action to support themselves and their communities.
Economically, foundations were laid for later advancements.
( E.g. Education/ universities, community expansion)
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Negative View of the Gilded Age
Gilded Age was a step back for AA's - disenfranchisement, discrimination and few stood up their rights
Rampant electoral fraud, violence and intimidation
"Free from the individual master, but a slave of society' - Frederick Douglass
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Role of President Rutherford B. Hayes (1877- 1881)
After 1877, the federal government took a smaller tole in promoting Civil Rights.
Hayes struck up a deal with the south-'The Compromise' ( made secret pledges during electoral dispute)
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Hayes- Tilden Compromise : 1877
Withdrew troops from the south to ensure success in election- gained Hayes southern votes
Allowed states to ignore Reconstruction legislation
Marked end on Reconstruction- meant Black Codes could be freely enforced in the south
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General Federal Attitudes in this period
Hayes appointed Southerners to federal positions.
Federal attitudes predominantly anti-civil rights.
States introduced Jim Crow Laws.
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Role of Supreme Court
Slaughter House - 1873
Us vs. Cruikshank - 1876
Plessy vs. Ferguson - 1896
All worked against African American Civil Rights.
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Slaughter House Case - 1873
Legal dispute limiting the protection of the privileges and immunities clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Weakened the power to protect civil rights of AA's.
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Us vs. Cruikshank - 1876
Led to an allowance of violence and deprivation of rights against the newly freed slaves.
Impact on establishing the State Action Doctrine - 14th amendment applies to state/ local governments but not on private parties.
Cruikshank not charged for involve
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Plessy vs. Ferguson - 1896
Ruled racial segregation as constitutional - Acted as a legal precedent for segregation in all forms of public life
'Separate but equal' --> reality much different
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Role of State Governments
Introduced discriminatory measures 'Jim Crow' .
Voting restrictions enforced- if registration didn't stop AA, then violence and intimidation did.
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Jim Crow Laws
Enforced racial segregation in the south:
- Separate hospitals, prisons, schools, churches, cemeteries and restrooms.
-Codes of behaviour regulating social and sexual relations between members of different races.
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Voting Restrictions
Complex regulations to qualify African Americans for voting, which ensured they were excluded.
E.g. Grandfather clauses, poll tax, literacy test, intimidation/violence
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Unfair Justice System
Punishment of violence/ lynching for minor offences created a system whereby the law was deliberately ignored in the South.
Disproportionate numbers of AA prisoners in chain gangs and labour camps.
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Were lives of AA's in the North much better than in the South?
No- Although they could vote
Discrimination in terms of range of employment opportunities/quality of housing/ low level of education/ confinement to specific areas
Quality of life did not significantly improve.
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Segregated districts in the North
Chicago - 5,000 AA's restricted to one area
New York- Harlem 23,000 AA's by early twentieth century
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Role of Congress
From 1876 there was little action because of the power of the Southern Democrats
Southern members acted as a barrier to reforms in civil rights legislation.
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Role of African American Individuals in gaining civil rights
Ida B. Wells
Booker T. Washington
W.E.B. Du Bois
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Ida B. Wells
Led a campaign against lynching.
First by writing newspaper columns but later through delivering lectures and organizing anti-lynching societies.
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Booker T. Washington
Stressed the importance of AA's becoming education and demonstrate responsibility.
Founded Tuskegee Institute in 1881
Gained confidence of white Americans
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W.E.B. Du Bois
Believed social change could be accomplished only through agitation and protest, and he promoted this view in his writing and in his organizing work.
Promoted Black Nationalism and Pan- Africanism.
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Lynching
1700 throughout era
Extremely dangerous/ conspiracies to kill African Americans
Used for minor offences which created a system whereby the law was deliberately ignored in the south in favour of mob rule.
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Southern Stereotype
Social Darwinism asserted a hierarchy of races and provided justification for discrimination/ segregation
Popular press portrayed AA as lazy, intellectually weak and easily provoked to violence.
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Racism from employers
African Americans were excluded from the rapidly growing textile factories.
--> Belief in the undesirability of black men working in close proximity to white women.
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Boll Weevil Outbreak- 1892
Disproportionately affected by outbreak which damaged cotton farming
AA's failed to benefit from diversification of Southern Farming
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Education
Main improvement in period : 1865 one in twenty AA's could read --> 1895 one in two could read
Black universities such as Tuskegee Institute established in 1881
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African American professionals
By 1900- 47,000 AA professionals, including doctors, lawyers, teachers and artists
Out of population of 8 million
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Consequence of economic hardship on civil rights
African Americans were less enthusiastic about full civil rights since day to day survival was more important.
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Opposition to Civil Rights
Ku Klux Klan - actions characterised by intimidation and lynching towards African Americans
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Ku Klux Klan
Organisation disintegrated in the 1870s
Less need for Klan since Southern states were allowed to make discrimination legal- decline in numbers.
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Westward expansion
40,000 AA's moved West - this did not relieve tensions
some AA pioneers and cowboys
Bulk of AA's lacked expertise to travel westwards to create new homes.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Gilded Age was a step back for AA's - disenfranchisement, discrimination and few stood up their rights
Rampant electoral fraud, violence and intimidation
"Free from the individual master, but a slave of society' - Frederick Douglass

Back

Negative View of the Gilded Age

Card 3

Front

After 1877, the federal government took a smaller tole in promoting Civil Rights.
Hayes struck up a deal with the south-'The Compromise' ( made secret pledges during electoral dispute)

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

Withdrew troops from the south to ensure success in election- gained Hayes southern votes
Allowed states to ignore Reconstruction legislation
Marked end on Reconstruction- meant Black Codes could be freely enforced in the south

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

Hayes appointed Southerners to federal positions.
Federal attitudes predominantly anti-civil rights.
States introduced Jim Crow Laws.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
View more cards

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