BDC CH. 4 Flashcards
What major event happened Aug. 14, 1908?
- Springfield, IL riots
- caused by alleged rape of white woman by black man
- saw violence brought on entire black Springfield pop.
(SCS)
What was the response by the local papers in Illinois about the Springfield Riot?
- blamed events on blacks
Who was William English Walling?
- young white man (descendant of KY slave owners)
- was a socialist (detested racial oppression
YW)
What was Walling’s response to the Springfield Riot?
- wrote magazine article titled “The Race War in the North”
- predicted end of US democracy if oppressive southern ideology spread to the North
- called for a revival of the “abolitionists”
(WPC)
What was the effect of Walling’s article?
- inspired white “equalists” to fight for change
- article underlined that race was a national not just regional issue
- article showed that progressive reform had done little to help blacks
- would help form organization w/ Walling to aid blacks (MWO + OGV) (invites sent out 1909 Lincoln’s birthday)
(IAAW)
Who was Mary White Ovington?
- white settlement house worker in NYC
- first professional social worker to devote career to black aid
- helped organize precursor to National Urban League
- spent a lot of time traveling to black schools in the South
- good friend of W.E.B DuBois
(WFHSG)
Who was Oswald Garrison Villard?
- rich northern Republican (abolitionist grandson)
- heavy critique of Washington + accommodationism
- endorsed a national defense committee to protect Negro rights
- very important to cause being that he owned New York Evening Post + Nations Magazine
- person who wrote invites to Lincoln meeting that started NAACP
(RHEVP)
What event happened May 31, 1909?
- National Conference on the Negro
- denounced growing black oppression
- marked birth of NAACP
(NDM)
What was the makeup of white NAACP members?
- mirrored typical Progressive era reformists (teachers, writers, businessmen, etc.)
- affluent + college educated + republican/socialist + Protestant + non-immigrants
- lived in big cities rather than country
- some were descendants of abolitionists (MWO + OGV) while others were old civil war veterans
(MALS)
What was the makeup of the black NAACP members?
- well educated + politically active + relatively affluent
How did the founders of the NAACP differ from other progressives?
- most white progressives had little interest in blacks
- if they did care mostly agreed w/ southern sentiments
- in South most progressives were white supremacists (disregarded enfranchisement/desegregation)
- Teddy Roosevelt seen as “progressive” (supporter of southern ideals)
(MIIT)
What was the foundation of the NAACP’s ideology?
complete rejection of racism
- scientific racism still a thing in 1900s
- National Conference on the Negro invited scientists to dispute claims
- Burt Wilder (Cornell professor) said their was no evidence of black brain inferiority
(SNB)
What did the National Conference on the Negro have to do w/ Booker T. Washington + what were the remarks made by DuBois?
meeting was repudiation of his ideals
- refuted economic success meant social inferiority
- denied industrial education + acquiring property as a suitable way to advance the race
- disenfranchisement believed to further issue not help it
(RDD)
What was Villard’s blueprint for the NAACP?
national committee to forward black interests + combat racial prejudice
- would disseminate racial truth to masses through education bureau
- investigate lynchings
- publicize injustices
(WIP)
What was seen as the NAACP’s main task?
- take cases to Supreme Court to fight against blatant constitutional violations
What was an early problem the NAACP had to get over?
blacks/whites working together (wasn’t very common)
- very few precedents for interracial orgs.
What was a lingering early fear among black NAACP members?
- that it would become dominated by whites
- whites had initiated NAACP idea (blacks just distinct minority at meeting)
- made many black members distrustful of white members at first
(TWM)
What was the main agenda created by the NAACP during the Conference on the Negro?
demanded impartial enforcement of Constitution
- blacks should be guaranteed all rights ensured to them by 14th/15th amendments
- equal treatment of law/equal access to vote
- demanded equal educational opportunities for all
- public school expenditure should equal white schools
(BEDP)
Why were William Trotter + Ida B. Wells excluded from Committee of Forty to lead NAACP?
- Villard didn’t wish to antagonize Booker T. Washington
- thought Trotter/Wells’ militant behavior towards him may put NAACP in jeopardy
- excluded Washington’s most uncompromising critics
(TE)
Wells/Trotter thought not to be accepting of restraints of organization
- Trotter especially difficult (was main catalyst for Niagara Movement failure)
(VW)
How were the early days of the NAACP?
unbalanced/uneasy black/white alliance
- local branch ordinary members mostly black
- blacks well represented on board of directors
- whites monopolized three key leadership positions (president + chairman + treasurer)
- org. depended on white lawyers
- board meetings often poorly attended (augmented authority of white executives)
(LBWOB)
What was the internal early makeup of the NAACP?
whites dominated first two decades
- Villard = chairman of the board/treasurer (virtually single-handedly carrying org.)
- Ovington = full time volunteer (permanent fixture at NY HQ)
- May Childs Nerney = white salaried secretary (driving force behind early NAACP development)
(VOM)
Who was Joel Elias Spingarn?
white NAACP member
- joined org. after dismissal from Columbia for defending academic freedom
- developed close friendship w/ DuBois
- convinced brother Arthur (a lawyer) to join
- gave national speaking tours for NAACP between 1912-15
- speaking tours crucial to getting word out beyond northeast
(JDCGS)
How did DuBois impact the NAACP + first become involved in the NAACP?
gave them visibility + credibility as an interracial org.
- joined in 1910 as research/literature director
- founded orgs. monthly magazine “The Crisis”
(JF)
How were Washington/DuBois different?
- DuBois raised in North (ancestors had been free for a while)
- was an urban intellectual (not agriculture)
- began life at the top so had no tolerance for discrimination like Washington
- regarded acquiescence to second class citizenship as blasphemous (DWBR)
How was DuBois early life?
- born in MA (faced relatively little discrimination)
- went to school/church w/ many whites
- got degrees from Fisk + Harvard
- knew little about the South prior to attending Fisk (very disconnected from black majority)
(BWGK)
What was different between Washington/DuBois ideology/philosophy?
- DuBois never matter of factly accepted racial identity as a given
- Washington avoided the problematic
- Washington outspoken against Reconstruction (DuBois defended it)
(DWW)
What did the Souls of Black Folk by DuBois give blacks?
a political compass
- blacks needed correct understanding of their history
- why it was important to fight against idea that Reconstruction was a mistake
- DuBois praised work of Freedmen’s Bureau + northern school teachers + Reconstruction legislatures
(BWD)
What was DuBois’ intended effect by supporting the Reconstruction movement?
- linked postbellum struggles for equality w/ present day defense of rights (like education/voting etc.)
- Washington’s policy of “submission” out of touch w/ what black community needed
(LW)
How did the DuBois writing style his way of expressing racial equality?
- used Greek/Latin metaphors/stories
- fed into stereotype of “darky” who aspired for higher education
- recognized attack on black higher education as a racist attack on equality
- found it terrible Washington pandered to white belief that blacks in higher education was unnecessary
(UFRF)
What was the purpose of whites attacking black higher education?
sought to rob blacks of intellectual inheritance
- blacks were as much a product of European culture as African culture
- Souls had quotations from European intellectual + Negro spiritual in each chapter
- “the life of the mind knew no color line”
- to deny black culture was to deny them of the truth
(BSTT)
Who was Alexander Crummell in relations to DuBois?
episcopal minister who inspired DuBois ideology
- denounced that equality would come through economic means alone
- only scholars/thinkers could guide the masses
- inspired DuBois idea for the “Talented Tenth”
(DOI)
What was the Talented Tenth?
higher educated blacks
- cultured broad minded leadership that would fight for equal rights
- w/o access to higher education visionary leaders would be lacking
(CW)
What was the economic critique that DuBois shared w/ Crummell?
echoed Crummell’s critique of shallow materialism
- reflected Washington’s “get rich” philosophy
- no amount of material wealth could compensate for disenfranchisement/inferior education/social inferiority
(RN)
What did the Souls of Black Folk do for DuBois?
- made him voice of black intellectuals nationally
How did DuBois opinion of Washington evolve?
- was once a supporter of the Atlanta Compromise
- began to repudiate Washington’s leadership
WB
What did DuBois’ intellect do for the black community?
- developed organized movement w/ clear program + coherent ideology (Niagara Movement)
What was the Niagara Movement?
- instigated by DuBois in 1905
- first collective attempt by blacks to demand full citizenship rights in 20th century
- failed to become effective vehicle for black protest
- exposed some of flaws of DuBois as a political leader + org. builder
(ISFE)
Why was the Niagara Movement based in the South when most of its members were Northerners?
where the black majority was (only way to establish relevance in community)
- southern protest potential was clear w/ resentment towards segregation at fever pitch
What were some of the measures taken in the early 20th century by blacks against public transport discrimination in the South?
- held mass meetings + petitioned state legislatures + legally challenged it in court
- New Orleans = Citizens Committee brought suit against railway that led to Plessy v. Ferguson
- organized boycotts after new wave of Jim Crow mandated segregated seating on street cars
(HNO)
What was the thinking of many Southern blacks in the early 20th century?
- found no difference between Washington’s self-help doctrine vs. agitation for equal rights
What was a problem the Niagara Movement faced trying to get started in the South?
had little knowledge of how to organize mass movement
- not clear they even wanted mass movement
- DuBois expected his teachings/papers to be enough to spread the ideology
- didn’t realize Talented Tenth didn’t make up leaders of the race
- DuBois failed to develop strategy beyond mere agitation
(NDDD)
Why did the Niagara Movement fail in the South?
- couldn’t raise a mass movement
- failed to even support the street car boycott (was happening in DuBois state at that)
- attacking discrimination through legal action was no different than methods Washington was using
- couldn’t raise enough $$$ to finance litigation strategy
(CFAC)
What event was a huge setback for the Niagara Movement in the South?
- 1906 Atlanta race riot
- sparked by political campaign to enfranchise blacks + fake new stories of black rapists
- intimidated the black community + quashed the Niagara spirit
- endangered black leaders
(NSIE)
What was the response by black leaders to the Atlanta race riot of 1906?
sought protection of white upper class to prevent further violence
- Washington urged restraint + cooperation w/ rich whites
- asserted Washington’s leadership + underlined DuBois’ inferior clout (shook his confidence)
- placed question over Niagara Movement methods
(WAP)
What were even more difficulties faced by the Niagara Movement in the South besides the lack of real strategy?
- initially excluded women (deprived them of large support source)
- personality conflicts were debilitating (especially behavior by Trotter)
- absence of white participation (lacked financial support/isolated them from mainstream progressives)
- Washington’s covert actions to undermine the group
(IPAW)
Why were the Niagara Movement members important pioneers, even though they failed to accomplish much?
- reasserted belief that blacks were entitled to all constitutional rights
- asserted blacks should campaign for restoration of constitutional freedom
- blazed a trail towards the NAACP
- gave DuBois experience in journalism that became valuable for his time w/ The Crisis mag./NAACP
(RABG)
How did the Niagara Movement blaze a path towards the NAACP?
- black support for Washington dwindling by 1909
- white liberals were inc. endorsing the NAACP
BW
How did The Crisis magazine perform?
- was an immediate success in the black community
What were some other opinions held by the NAACP leaders about The Crisis?
- Villard = criticized amount of time DuBois dedicated to mag. + not to his other research/publicity duties
- Villard disliked DuBois used The Crisis as his personal mouthpiece not voice of NAACP
- colleagues worried about DuBois’ attacks on white philanthropists/black ministers in articles
- most early heated board meetings were about DuBois + The Crisis
(VVCM)
How did the NAACP handle DuBois + his writing in The Crisis?
- allowed him writing freedom (w/ editorial committee)
- would eventually provoke Villard to leave NAACP leadership
- Ovington + Spingarn knew DuBois too valuable to lose
(AWO)
Why was DuBois work on the Crisis so important to the NAACP?
- litigation + organization strategies meant nothing if the org. message failed to reach wide audience
- could not match Washington’s white financial backing
- but used The Crisis to speak directly to educated blacks across the country
(LCB)
How did The Crisis magazine strike a chord w/ black America?
- many blacks sick of Washington’s pandering to whites
- liked a mag. that didn’t hold back
- mounted a sustained frontal attack on racial prejudice
(MLM)
What became a major target of DuBois + The Crisis?
Washington + Tuskegee Institute
What race issue was DuBois most outspoken about?
lynching
- NAACP sent blacks/white sympathizers to investigate lynchings
- DuBois would write on them
- boldly advocated for black self defense against lynch mobs (berated blacks for cowardly behavior)
(NDB)
What were the positives that The Crisis provided the black community?
- instilled pride in the race + extolled black accomplishments
- showcased blacks in art/scholarship/literature
- placed black struggle in context of world events + broad social currents
- campaigned for women’s suffrage + supported labor rights
(ISPC) - threatened Washington’s hold on black America
What were some of the early litigation victories for the NAACP?
- defended black man accused of rape in NYC
- 1915 = Guinn v. US (defeated OK’s grandfather clause)
- 1917 = Buchanan v. Worley (won against KY law that established separate white/black neighborhoods)
(DNN)
How were the early Supreme Court victories by the NAACP less impactful than they seemed?
decisions did little to change daily race relations
- racial zoning deemed unconstitutional but housing discrimination still completely legal
- elimination of grandfather clause didn’t matter much since their were other methods to limit black vote
(RE)
What were some of the most notable litigation losses the NAACP suffered in the early 20th century?
- failed to stop segregation w/in the federal gov.
- lost campaign for theaters to stop showing Birth of A Nation
FL
What events led up to the segregation of the federal gov.?
- 1913 = Postmaster General Burleson proposes blacks/whites in Railway Mail Service to work separate
- caused pattern of segregation in federal gov. departments
- from 1914 onward all civil service applicants required to submit photos (dec. proportion of black gov. employees)
(NCF)
How did the NAACP win even in defeat?
by creating public controversy it got white attention
- caused Woodrow Wilson to distance himself from Birth of A Nation after outcry
- federal gov. backed off making segregation official policy (embarrassed by civil service segregation dispute)
- plans for completely segregated postal service dropped
- brought attention to lynching (federal gov. threatened to step in if south didn’t curb issue)
(CFPB)
How was the early growth period of the NAACP?
- painfully slow (despite success of The Crisis)
- only branches were Boston + NYC + DC until 1912 (combined total of 329 members)
- 1914 = still lacked functioning branches in Chicago/STL/Detroit + didn’t have single Southern branch
- 1916 = saw a tremendous jump in membership
(PONN)
Who was James Weldon Johnson?
- Florida native (still had much in common w/ DuBois)
- NAACP secretary
- helped write “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (black national anthem)
- was once a supporter of Washington + didn’t support Niagara Movement
- highly successful in selling NAACP to blacks/whites
(FNHWH)
What did Johnson do to help the NAACP cause?
made first task organizing the South
- speaking tour across South caused a bunch of new branches to spring up
- spoke of how prejudice destroyed both victims/perps.
(SS)
What cemented the NAACP as the leading black voice?
- death of Washington 1915
What was becoming a common action in the black community in the 1910s/20s?
- many began venturing North to labor deprived factories
- blacks became heavily involved patriotically leading up to WWI
BM
