Limits To Progressivism I African American Inequality

Limits To Progressivism

I. African American Inequality A. Segregation- the separation of one race/people from another (maintaining separate schools & public facilities) 1. de facto- being separated b/c it’s the way it is 2. de jure- maintaining seperation by law

I. African American Inequality Cont… B. Jim Crow laws- beginning in the 1880’s laws were passed in Southern states requiring racial segregation. (train cars, hotels, restaurants, parks, public facilities, Bibles to swear on) C. Plessy v. Ferguson- the 1896 Supreme Court case that legalized segregation. The decision stated that separate facilities were constitutional as long as they were equal. “separate, but equal”

II. Fighting Racism These two men both wanted to bring an end to racism, but they had two totally different ideas of how to achieve this goal. A. Booker T. Washington- 1881 - At the age of 25 this former slave opened up a vocational school for blacks in Alabama: Tuskegee Institute- He believed that blacks could earn the respect of whites by becoming valuable members of society in the workforce

II. Fighting Racism Cont… B. T. Washington cont. - Accommodation- did not directly challenge Jim Crow laws, but rather emphasized economic success over racial equality (a gradual process) B. W. E. B. Du. Bois- graduate of Harvard who helped found the NAACP in 1909 – Rather than a gradual process of equality, Du. Bois urged Af-Ams to demand equality at once. During this era of progress, most Progressive politicians continued to ignore the movement for the Af-Am equality

III. Immigration Immigrants also struggled to find their place in American society 1914: 1/3 of the American population were immigrants Many Americans feared that the flood of immigrants was destroying the American culture Melting pot- a society in which various racial, ethinic, and cultural groups were blended together

III. Immigration Cont… Nativism- a policy of favoring native-born individuals over foreign-born ones In an attempt to limit further immigration into the US from Southern and Eastern Europe (where schooling was limited), the Progressive in Congress passed a law requiring immigrants over the age of 16 to pass a literacy test

IV. Labor Unions Most Progressives recognized that workers needed protection, but they did not like the idea of labor unions in America’s capitalist (profit obsessed) economy: – 1. Higher wages – 2. Shorter hours – 3. Better working conditions These limit profit Collective Bargaining- a strategy that labor unions use to negotiate wages, hours, and working conditions between workers organized as a group and their employer

IV. Labor Unions Cont… AFL (American Federation of Labor) – The largest labor organization in Am. – Organized to protect workers by being able to negotiate with owners of business using strikes IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) – Wanted a single union for all workers

Conclusions The Progressives of the early 1900’s expanded the powers of the gov’t to meet the problems caused by industrialization Despite these advances, Af-Ams and immigrants were often neglected during an era supposedly dedicated to eliminating problems for the common American

p. 556 -557 Compare W. E. B Dubois Booker T. Washington Contrast