Detailed Study Notes on the Progressive Era and Civil Rights Movement

The discussion continues on the Progressive Era and the modern civil rights movement.
Previous discussions included the prohibition movement and the anti-prostitution movement.

Not all reformers were white; many African American reformers contributed to the movement.
One major challenge America faced was racism, prompting reformers to aim for better race relations and an end to racism in the U.S.

Foundation: Founded in 1909 by both black and white reformers to help African Americans achieve equality.
Misconception: Many believe the NAACP emerged in the 1950s alongside Dr. King, but it was established during the Progressive Era, decades earlier.
Objectives:
- Get federal laws to ban lynching.
- End discrimination against African Americans.
- Protect civil rights of African Americans.
- Eliminate segregation, which was upheld by the Plessy vs. Ferguson Supreme Court case.

Background: A prominent civil rights leader of the Progressive Era.
Philosophy: Advocated for higher education rather than industrial training for African Americans.
Published Work: In 1903, published The Souls of Black Folk, arguing for a focus on four-year college degrees for the top 10% of African American students (known as the Talented Tenth Theory).
- This promoted the idea that by pooling resources, communities could send their most capable students to college to enter professional fields, thereby increasing access for future generations.
Critique of Washington: Du Bois criticized Booker T. Washington for setting the educational and social standards too low for African Americans.
Niagara Movement: In 1905, Du Bois helped establish the Niagara Movement, which advocated for civil rights and laid the groundwork for the NAACP.

Background: Born a slave, educated in an industrial school.
Advocacy: Promoted industrial education and the importance of African Americans developing skills trades such as carpentry, masonry, and mechanics as a pathway to economic independence.
- Believed in building African American communities and businesses to improve social status incrementally.
Philosophy of Education: Encouraged practical trades rather than pursuing four-year degrees due to limited access for Africans Americans in higher education institutions.
- Washington's ideas had initial support from white politicians and wealthy philanthropists but led to criticism he might be compromising too much.
Difference with Du Bois: He avoided public protests and demonstrations for civil rights and instead sought gradual improvements through education and economic self-reliance.

Popularity: At the time, Washington was more popular among African Americans for his approach.
Civil Rights Activism: Du Bois advocated for civil rights protests, while Washington's approach was more reserved and focused on economic advancement.

Background: Born a slave in Holly Springs, Mississippi; worked as a teacher and became a civil rights advocate.
Early Education: Attended a black university, Shaw University (now Rust College) at a young age.
Legal Battles: Fought against racial discrimination after being ejected from a train for sitting in the ‘ladies only’ car, winning a lower court case but eventually losing at the state supreme court level.
Anti-Lynching Campaign: After witnessing the lynching of her friends, Wells became a strong advocate against lynching and sought to create laws criminalizing participation in lynch mobs.
- Her writings and activism made her a target, leading her to relocate to Chicago for safety.
Founding of Organizations: Founded the National Association of Colored Women in 1895 to support activism among black women, who were often excluded from larger movements.

The Progressive Era saw the rise of both male and female African American reformers, shaping the early civil rights movement with varying methods and philosophies.