10/4/12The Rise of Disfranchisement and Segregation: Black AmericaThe Negro QuestionPresident Hayes abandoned the colored people in the South to the people intimidating and lynching them.President Garfield, Arthur, and Cleveland all put this on the back burner and didn’t pay much attention to it.Arthur and Cleveland hired blacks-“Negro Jobs”-Minister to Haiti-Minister to LiberiaReopening of question dealing with blacks under President Harrison. Situation with blacks actually got worse because of efforts to improve their condition.DisfranchisementNullify black political strength14th amendment15th amendment Southern states didn’t want to draw attention from the federal government by violating these amendments, so they found other means – violence and intimidation.When Blacks did vote, they were often forced to vote for certain candidates.Black districts were gerrymandered.Mississippi: first Southern state to effectively disfranchise Blacks by the Constitution– they found legal ways to keep Blacks from voting.1890 Constitutional Convention -Imposed poll tax-Disfranchised voters convicted for petty crimes-Literacy test: disfranchised those who couldn’t read and interpret constitution-Isaiah Montgomery: only Black man at the ConventionDisfranchised 23,000 Blacks but only 11,000 whitesLouisiana, 1898Grandfather Clause-Called for addition to the permanent registration list the names of all males whose fathers and grandfathers had been eligible to vote on January 1, 1867 – this included no Black menSegregationJim Crow Laws-Tennessee passed law to segregate public facilities in 1865 and prohibited intermarriage – other states followed.White Democratic Rule-Disfranchisement-Segregation-Lynching-1882-1891: 1,483 Blacks lynchedThe North- Negative stereotypes of Blacks portrayed them as petty thieves, etc.-LynchingFederal Government-Blacks could not look to federal government for assistance. Both political parties abandoned them, although whites said the right things.-Civil Rights Act, 1875-Guaranteed equal rights in public places, inns, conveyances, theaters, without distinction of color-Prohibited exclusion of Blacks from jury duty-Civil Rights Cases, 1883-Involved 5 different cases (2 originated in the South)-Supreme Court declared 8 to 1 Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional because it protected social rather than political rights.-John Marshall Harlan, a former slave-owner from Kentucky, wrote the only dissenting opinion.-This ruling made discrimination a state matter.-Plessy v. Ferguson-Separate Car Law passed in Louisiana in 1890 -“Separate but equal” train cars-Citizens’ Committee organized to test the constitutionality of the Separate Car Law-1892: Plessy (an octoroon – 1/8 Black) was the petitioner, having sat in a “white car” and told the ticket collector he was Black to get arrested.-John Howard Ferguson was the first judge the case was seen by at state level.-State upheld that the state law was constitutional, that as long as accommodations were equal, segregation did not constitute discrimination.-Went to Supreme Court and was upheld…John Marshall Harlan again wrote the dissenting opinion, saying, “The Constitution is colorblind.”-Not overturned until 1854 in Brown v. Board of Ed10/9/12Black Leadership-Booker T. Washington-Born a slave in Virginia 9 years before the Civil War started-Whites “anointed” him the leader of Black America-Too much attention had been placed on voting and running for office and not enough on preparing for citizenship-Blacks had to destroy the stereotypes that had been placed on them, had to earn respect-Blacks needed more than liberal education – needed industrial education so that they could earn a living but stay in their place-Built from the ground up Tuskegee Institute in 1881-Carnegie and other robber barons became very good friends with Washington and contribute millions of dollars to the institute to train workers-W.E.B. Du Bois-Became Washington’s most important critic, saying that Washington promoted the economic side of things rather than the higher things in life, that Washington preached accommodation (acceptance of what’s being given)-Had a liberal studies education, got a PhD – was opposed to Washington’s industrial education stance-Believed in the Talented Tenth – the top tenth of the Black race should pursue a liberal education-“Prejudice can be fought if frankly faced.”-Involved in forming the Niagara Movement in 1905 (blacks and whites working together for blacks) evolved into NAACP (large contingent of Jews), both of which Washington opposed-NAACP-Mass meetings-Investigations (especially lynching)-Publicity -Organ of NAACP: “The Crisis” magazine – Editor: Du Bois-Considered the most successful of Civil Rights
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