Early Activists 1877-1915 Flashcards
Why didn’t activists work together towards common goals between 1865-1915?
-each activist chose to challenge segregation in different ways
-they disagreed on the methods
-North South divide in situation of African Americans
-activism would be different in the North than the South
What were Frederick Douglass’ aims/area of activism?
-became a prominent activist, author and public speaker in the Abolitionist movement-> sought to end slavery before and during the Civil war
-wanted to educate other enslaved people due to him being
born into slavery and wanting to help others
What did Frederick Douglass do?
-urged black people to stick with the Republican party
Published ‘Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave’
What was Frederick Douglass’ achievements?
-after the conflict and Emancipation Proclamation 1862 he continued to push for equality and human rights until his death
-part of the American Equal Rights Association
What were Booker T Washington’s aims/activism?
-his activism was focused on calls for black progress through education and entrepreneurship, rather than trying to challenge directly the segregation caused by the Jim Crow discriminatory laws and the disenfranchisement of black voters in the South
-he was a key proponent of African-American businesses and a founding member of the National Negro Business League, established in Boston in 1900
What did Booker T Washington do?
-Washington gave a speech known as the ‘Atlanta Compromise’ as lynching’s in the South reached a peak in 1895->this outlined his activism focus
-he detailed how he didn’t believe in challenging the Jim Crow Laws
What were Booker T Washington’s achievements?
-his speech brought him national attention
What was Booker T Washington’s reputation like?
-Washington was often perceived as too accommodationist and unpopular with other activists such as Trotter and Du Bois who began to oppose him after it became clear that the Atlanta Compromise did not produce the promised improvement for most black people in the South
What was Booker T Washington’s legacy?
-died really young which does not help his cause
-unpopular among activists due to his accommodationist beliefs
-popular support among white politicians
-seen as accommodating the system rather than challenging it
How long lasting was the effects of Booker T Washington’s activism?
-he had potential to do something different but died young
What was accommodationism? Can you describe how Booker T Washington followed this principle?
-he was accommodating/adapting to the white people in power and their views and this made him unpopular
-wanted people to accept the segregation
-he is ostracised within the Civil Rights movement with the other activists
What was W. E. B Du Bois’ aim/activism?
-pioneered advocacy of Pan-Africanism - all people of African descent should work together in the struggle for freedom
What did W. E. B Du Bois do?
-in 1905 he led the Niagara Movement which was dedicated to attacking the platform of Booker T. Washington.
-the Niagara Movement served as an inspiration for the creation of the NAACP in 1909,where he became the association’s director of research and editor of its magazine, The Crisis
-this role gave him significant influence among middle-class Blacks and progressive whites as the propagandist for the black protest from 1910 until 1934
What did W. E. B Du Bois achieve?
-significant influence among middle-class Blacks and progressive whites as the propagandist for the Black protest from 1910 until 1934.
-published a book->the souls of the black folk - which argued that Booker T’s strategy would serve to perpetuate racism
What was W. E. B Du Bois’ legacy?
-propagandist for the black protest from 1910 until 1934
