African American History 133 Final

Briefly, describe the meanings of freedom held by freedmen and women in the first several years after emancipation. Under "Radical" Reconstruction, what are examples of the way in which African Americans pursued demands for land, equal rights, fair pay, education, and/or freedom from violence?

-They went to try and settle on lands from the South. They tried crossing borders going state to state to see how different states treated them.

-They reunited with their families and tried running their own institutions.

-Freedom of movement is key, as they went from state to state to test the boundaries of their freedom. Land was seen as basis of economic freedom and independence. If you had land, you had power. Education was also key

What was "Redemption"? How was it brought about? What impact did it have on African American political participation? How was this impact reflected in the use of "fusion politics"?

-Defeat of the Reconstruction and the return of the democratic party and leadership of ex confederates back to power in the south.

-Acceptance by the Republican party, federal government and northern whites as a return of ex confederates to economic power.

-Marked by the 1877 Hayes-Tilden compromise and the removal of the federal troops in April 1877. Soldiers had been declining since 1870, only about 2800 remaining. There was still black office holding for at least two decades.

What does Nate Shaw recall of the Reconstruction era and African American men exercising the right to vote? What does he make of Jim Crow? How is he taught by his father to respond to the strictures of life under Jim Crow?

-When they went to vote, they were bullied into voting for certain parties

-Bribed into voting for democratic party

-Father told him "Obey the white man, do what he tell you, avoid trouble."

-Nate shaw pro agitation

Father pro accomodation

What was Jim Crow segregation? How did it operate socially, politically, and economically? How did it operate differently in the South, as opposed to the North? How was this social order shaped by the Plessy v. Ferguson decision?

Jim crow - "Separate But equal treatment"

Sharecropping - Perceptual Debt.

Social - Segregated transportation, use different water fountain and go to different theaters. No Vagrancy, needed a job. You had to ask to move around.

Political - Grandfather clause (couldn't vote unless your grandfather or rather was able to vote in 1870). Poll taxes, all white primary (prevented blacks from voting in democratic primary)

economic impacts; not many opportunities for jobs besides tenant farmer, laundress or house servant.

Jim Crow social order:

Post Reconstruction:Restored dominance to ex confederates and new elites. State sanctioned discrimination legalized in Plessy v Ferguson.

political Impacts: sharp decline in black voter registration to due disenfranchisement.

Social impact: erosion of civil rights, consigned to illiteracy, poverty and low life expectancy

Name an example of how African Americans pursued the strategy of migration, prior to the Plessy v. Ferguson decision.

Kansas, exodusters.

-Black's going back to South after civil war to look for land

-South Carolina Sea Islands, where they went to get land back before white southerners came with pardons from Johnson

How did Ida B. Wells challenge the idea that lynch law and mob violence were legitimate responses to the alleged crime of rape? How did turn lynching into an international issue? ((((What strategic response to white supremacy did her efforts represent?)))))

-Lynching was being used more as an excuse to kill and commit violence against blacks rather than an actual punishment for crimes. -International: Doing lynch speeches in Britain

-White Supremacy: Agitation: going to Britain to spread word on the issue. Using International support to put pressure on US

Describe the strategy of accommodation and explain how Booker T.

Washington's model of industrial education reflects the influence of this strategy.

-Ethic of hard work, self improvement and christian morality.

Atlanta Compromise

-Denounced the goals of political power, civil right and social equality.

-Pushed instead for economic cooperation to ensure the South's prosperity.

-Industrial education, give blacks a hands on education so they can be the fingers of the white man.

-Give them them agricultural skills so they can be more useful in the rural south. Training black teachers.

According to Fannie Barrier Williams, what was the Black women's club movement? How did its motto of "Lifting as we climb," reflect the values of its participants? How were different Black women's organizations different from club organizations run by white women during the same time period

Black middle class women who want to help black working class women. Climbing up in society and pulling the working class black women with them. Black womens club organizations were more political and social justice oriented whereas white womens club organizations were more social and cultural oriented.

Discuss the NAACP. What does the abbreviation stand for? When and why was it founded? Who was part of its leadership? What were the key issues the organization focused on? What was the name of its official publication? Which strategic response to Jim Crow segregation did the organization pursue?

-Founded in 1909 in New York by a group of black and white intellectuals.

-In response to the Springfield Race riot of 1908.

-Didn't have support at first because they were overshadowed by the Great Migration.

-Sought to make whites more aware of social inequality.

-Strongly opposed Booker T. Washington's ideas on gradualism.

-Started a program of speech making, lobbying, and publicizing the issue.

-Crisis, edited by Du bois

-Attacked racial segregation through courts,

-Overturned all white primary, grandfather clause, Plessy v ferguson

-Ida B. Wells too radical, agitation

-Most of officers and leadership positions were wealthy white conservatives. Early campaigns focused on legal changes

Discuss the Great Migration and World War I and its impact on the lives of African Americans. When and why did the Great Migration take place? What were the factors "pushing" them out of the South? What were the factors "pulling" them to the North? How did World War I impact the lives of African Americans in the North?

-Movement of over 300,000 African Americans from rural South to urban North between 1914 and 1920.

-Motivated by desire to improve economic standing, persecution only a minor factor.

-Push factors: Economic Depression of 893 and declining cotton prices and productivity of land. Increased lynchings, mob violence, disenfranchisement, inadequate schools, Jim Crow Segregation. Boil Weevil eating cotton crops.

-Pull factors: Labor shortage in the North due to WWI, European Immigration is cut off during WWI, at the same time there is an increased need for labor because of war industries.

Why were African Americans divided over the question of participating in WWI? For W. E. B. Du Bois, what did African Americans need to do in "closing ranks" to go fight and what would they have to look forward to when they returned to the U.S.? On what grounds did Hubert Harrison critique his views?

Divide: Would fighting in the war help bridge equality? Or why bother?

Du Bois was supportive of fighting in the war "Closing ranks and forget out special grievances".

Harrison critiques Du Bois for telling African Americans to forget their own problems, and thinks it might be because Du Bois got a paid position in the army.

According to the Crisis and the Chicago Defender, what were the causes of the East St. Louis massacre of 1916 and what individuals and organizations were to blame? And were the protests that followed it appropriate or not? According to reporting by African American and white writers, what were the causes of race riots of 1919 and what individuals and organizations were to blame? And what did they make of African-Americans fighting back?

-Labor Tensions, African Americans brought in as strikebreakers, unions as partly responsible(industries in East St. Louis responsible?)

-Response: Protest in a silent march in Manhattan

-African Americans were generally supportive of self defense attitude, saw as being reflective of the willingness to fight in the war, but now they were fighting at home.

Race Riots of 1919: caused by post WWI Housing and labor competition between European immigrants and Black migrants. From 1916-1919 Population rose from 44,000 to 109,000. Stockyards, meatpacking jobs. Overcrowded black neighborhoods. Racism "Yellow" Journalism.

What were some of the poor economic choices made by Garvey that led to the decline of the UNIA? What part did governmental surveillance play in Garvey's imprisonment?

Black Star Line - Established as steamship company to link African people throughout the world. Was exciting expression of Black ambition of many, raised money through shares.

By 1920, purchased three ships that were overprices and in poor conditions

Had a goal of establishing foothold in Liberia, but it was poorly managed and they lost money. Garvey was charged with mail fraud in soliciting shares.

Grassroot emphasis on black unity and community development.

Government surveillance: "Garvey Must go!"' campaign led by Philip A. Randolph and Chandler Owens, with support from Du Bois and NAACP.

Garvey investigated for mail fraud and a secret meeting with KKK in 1922. Convicted and deported to Jamaica.

--Government didn't like how much power and attention garvey was getting so they tried to find anything they could on him to shut him down

Describe the aims and program of Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro

Improvement Association (UNIA). How did they reflect the postwar New Negro sentiment?

Black nationalism and racial pride, international vision, and militant protest of white supremacy.

Pan Africanism: Africa for all africans. Link everyone together.

Describe the characteristics associated with the New Negro era?

-Combination of WWI and Great Migration fostered a great sense of black militancy, greater demands for agitation.

-Appropriated War language

-Greater sense of racial consciousness, international surge against the color line

-Social organizing: Union membership doubled to 5.1 million in 1915-1920.

-1917 Racial backlash: 26 Lynched, 40 killed, 100 injured.

What was the Harlem Renaissance? What sort of emotions did its artists attempt to convey through their artwork? How might these emotions be appropriate for the era of the New Negro?

-Center for the New Negro arts movement. Sought to capture ferment of black life in Metropolis.

-Artists sought to present authentic account of African American experience. refashion black image.

-Key role in publishers and editors at the Crisis (NAACP), Opportunity (Urban League), The Negro World (UNIA) in providing a venue for the artists.

-Alain Locke, Harvard Rhodes scholar and Harvard Ph. D sought to promote this new artist movement (The New Negro) 1925.-

In Shaw's experience, what was the difference between being a sharecropper and a tenant farmer?

-Tenant Farming: completely in charge of your supplies from start to finish. If crop failed, they would have to pay for the crop as if it succeeded.

-Sharecropping: they get half of the crops profit. tenant farmers have more autonomy.

-Nate shaw tenant farming: had to go get fertilizer because of bad land productivity.

According to Shaw, what are the aims of the Alabama Sharecroppers Union? How does it go about seeking to achieve them? In spite of his success as a tenant farmer, why did Shaw think its efforts were important? What was he willing to do to see it be successful?

Shaw was one of the founding members. Founded in Elaine, Arkansas in 1931. Found with support of the communist party.

Goals:

-Improve living conditions and wages for sharecroppers. This included continuation of food advances, so sharecroppers could feed their family.

-Sell crops without permission

-Be paid in cash, not crops.

-Wanted nine month education for their children

-Sued governement for direct payment of subsidies.

In 1935, CPUSA withdrew support and Alabama Sharecroppers union merged with Alabama agricultural workers union

What was the Communist Party USA's Black Belt thesis? Why did it help attract African Americans to the CPUSA in the 1930s?

-Harry Haywood.

-blacks in deep south were an oppressed nation. Called for self determination in the "black belt" in 1928

-Black's should demand separate land within the US

-Led to growth of Communist party in the US South.

-Many attracted to its principle opposition to racial discrimination and view of those in the deep south as an oppressed nation.

Promoted African Americans to leadership positions

-Attracted many artists, writers, intellectuals.

What was the Scottsboro case, and what was its eventual outcome? What role did the Communist Party (CPUSA) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) play in this affair?

9 black boys accused of raping some white girls on a train.

-Communist party provided legal legislation

-NAACP provided original legal legislation, but didn't provide sufficient help in court. Communist party comes in and provides better support.

-Rest of communist parties would take up this case and it creates a sense of international solidarity.

-Increased Popularity of CPUSA

-Scottsboro case led legacy of a model of agitation, international advocacy, and federal litigation (fighting stuff in court)

Name some of the most critical ways in which the Great Depression impacted African Americans. How did it impact Black women in particular?

-Mass Unemployment

-Cotton prices dropped from 18 to 6 cents per lb, drop in number of sharecroppers

-Increased poverty, evictions, family breakdown, hunger.

Bronx Slave Market:

Ella Baker - went undercover and discovered black women had two options, domestic work or prostitution. Hired on day to day basis, so work was unpredictable. Low sums of money for their work. Majority of them doing domestic work.

-Sometimes women tricked into receiving lunch that docked their paycheck

What was the "Double V" campaign, and why was it important? In what ways was the United States' treatment of Black Americans incongruent with America's stated war aims during the Second World War?

-Double Victory

-Victory abroad and victory at home.

-Main campaign associated with WWII.

-Idea is if African Americans go Abroad and fight for democracy in places like Germany, you can achieve civil rights and racial equality at home.

-If you fight for your rights, can't be denied them afterwards.

-Racial discrimination and fascism become linked

What was the March on Washington Movement? When and why did it come into being, and what were its demands?

-During WWII

-Philip A Randolph called for gathering of 50-100,000 people to merge on the capital

-Demand equal opportunity in the defense industry and armed services.

-Want to be allowed to participate in the war so they can fight for their rights

-They want to get job opportunities to make supplies for the war

-Seeks to shift attention away from Communist party organizing.

Don't end up Marching: FDRs Exec. Order 8802 and Fair Employment practices commission - both banned racial discrimination in defense industry and factory jobs.

-FDRs orders satisfied their demands

What was the Second Great Migration? How was it similar to the First Great Migration? How was it different?

1st Great Migration WWI

2nd Great Migration - WWII

-Black's working in factories to help war effort

-Job opportunities because whites were fighting in war

-Immigration cut off in US

-1st: Already living in rural origins, 2nd: Already living in urban areas, left with job skills

-Employment: 2nd great migration seeking more skilled and better paying jobs

-Discrimination in renting, lending and home sales left African Americans in racially segregated communities

What was the Black Chicago Renaissance? How was similar to and different from the Harlem Renaissance?

-Promoted racial pride and a new race consciousness

-Had a few wealthy patrons but had a greater focus on the working class audience than Harlem Renaissance.

-Harlem Renaissance was sponsored by a lot of white people.

-Lasted from 1930s-1950s and was fueled by second Great Migration

-Key institutions: Chicago Defender, Chicago Sunday Bee, Negro Story, WPA, Federal writes project, Maxwell street

-Maxwell street trading post for artists

-Chicago blues: originates from classical blues, but includes electric guitar harmonica and gospel

-Gospel music originates from Bronzevilles pilgrim and baptist church.

What is a kitchenette apartment? According to Richard Wright, how did it reflect the difficult circumstances African Americans faced in the urban north? How did those conditions shape the way in which Black migrants lived their lives?

-Overcrowded "black belt" neighborhoods

-High rent, poor living conditons

-Economic Exploitation by whites

-Couldn't move out: Racially restrictive coventants

For Wright, how were the "Bosses of the Buildings" the northern equivalent of the "Lords of the Land"? How did their power reflect the continuation of the color line outside of the South?

The landlords

-Keeping blacks in specific apartments, no mobility

-Housing covenants

Discuss the "interracial cooperation" idea. How did it reflect Washington's strategy of accommodation? What were some of its proponents' greatest accomplishments? What were their major weaknesses?

-Focus on cultivating white allies (white women)

-non political, non confrontational

-support for projects that improved lives of poor people

Weaknesses: Didn't address root cases for problems

-Supported public health campaigns, led to National Negro Health Week

-Association of Southern women for the Prevention of Lynching, ASWPL. got pledges from 1355 law enforcement officials

Discuss the legal strategy of the NAACP. What plan did Charles Houston and Thurgood Marshall employ to challenge racial segregation?

-shifting focus to winning legal precedents

-Public Education: Gaines: Substantially equal opportunity: Teachers salaries

-Thurgood Marshall: Smith v Allwright: declared all white primary unconstitutional

- led to increase in black voter registration

How did the anti-communist sentiment of the Red Scare threaten the goals of the African American struggle for equal rights? How did black leaders in the 1950s attempt to use the Cold War context to their advantage?

-Hurts African American struggle because goals at that time were so linked to CPUSA.

-Don't want communists supporting African americans,

-Blacks involved put under surveillance and faced harassment.

-Cold War: Context promoted a liberal anticommunism that attacked segregation as being bad for the US due to concern over soviet propaganda.

-Need to get rid of segregation because Russians will use it against US

-Soviet Fear: Judicial and exec. branches chip away at Jim crow laws and introduce new legal cases: Shelly vs Kramer

According to Thurgood Marshall, what is the importance of the Brown decision? What was the relationship of the Supreme Court's 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision to its Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954?

Plessy vs Ferguson - Legalized State Sanctioned discrimination according to the principle "Separate but Equal"

Brown Decision:

-Overturned Plessy v Ferguson and ruled that school segregation was unconstitutional.

-Focused on Education, helped lay groundwork for later court cases

Why did Zora Neale Hurston oppose the Brown decision? What changes occurring in southern society did she point to as examples of the reasons why the Brown decision was in error?

-Thought integration was bad, wanted same funding for both black and white schools

-Thought black's demonstrated lack of self respect by wanting to integrate with white schools instead of fighting to make black schools better

-Lots of black schools were improving in the area she was in before Brown decision

What demands to members of the Nation of Islam make that are similar to proponents of accommodation? What demands are similar to proponents of agitation?

Agitation:

-The way Malcolm X talked, great orator

-Stop/start mob riot with flick of his hand

Accommodation:

-Separate institutions

-Will deal with segregation, but will create own businesses and institutions, use it to accommodate ourselves to way color line is in the North

Black Belt Thesis:

-African Americans should demand their own separate land within the US

-Don't like police brutality, hitting us over head and sending us to hospital

- organized against police brutality, LAPD murder brother Roanald Stokes

In writing this play, how did Hansberry draw on her and her family's own experiences fighting against racial segregation? How did the play reflect some of the sentiments in Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem"?

1.

-Carl Hansberry was a plaintiff (father)

-Racially Restrictive Coventants

-Focused on Younger family's efforts to move out of Kitchenette

-Father tried to move out, faced resistance

2.

-Father chauffeured a lot, doing work for whites, can't climb social ladder

-Shows how hard it is for African Americans to progress

-Leaving south, going to promised land with more liberties

-Each member of family has different opinion on American Dream

-Characters respond to each different crisis dictated in poem Harlem