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Introduction to African American Responses to Jim Crow

• Discussion on how Black settlers coped with oppressive structures such as Jim Crow laws, convict leasing, racial discrimination, and terrorism.

Formation of Black Associations

• Established as a means to protect rights and freedoms of African Americans.

  • Black Women's Club Movement: Founded before NAACP in 1909, essential in the civil rights struggle.

  • Originated in the 1870s-1880s with notable organizations including:

    • National Association for Colored Women (NACW):

      • Formed in 1896 from a merger of the National Federation of Afro American Women and the National Colored Woman's League.

      • Notable members included Harriet Tubman and Mary Church Terrell.

      • Focused on moral, mental, and material advancement, with the motto "Lift as We Climb."

      • Addressed issues like poverty, racial discrimination, and education through various community programs.

      • Height of membership was around 100,000 in 1920.

    • Phillis Wheatley Clubs:

      • Named after the poet; provided living accommodations and took care of needs for working women denied YWCA support.

      • Included nurseries and domestic skill classes.

      • Chicago opened the Phyllis Wheatley Home in 1908.

NAACP: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

• Founded in 1909 as an interracial coalition post a race riot in Springfield, Illinois.

  • Sparked by a lynching incident linked to a false accusation.

• Included prominent figures (e.g., W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells) and white allies (e.g., Mary White Ovington).

• Fought for civil and political rights through legal and legislative efforts.

  • Notable legal victory: Gunn v. U.S. (1915), overturning discriminatory voting practices.

  • Opposed films like Birth of a Nation which glorified the KKK.

• Du Bois' Role:

  • Director of publicity and research; published the journal "The Crisis" which provided crucial reporting on lynching.

  • Ramp-up in issue circulation from 1,000 to 100,000 in nine years.

National Urban League

• Founded in 1910 to address urban conditions for Black Americans migrating to cities.

  • Aimed at improving access to housing, healthcare, and education in segregated neighborhoods.

  • Assisted in job placement and providing guidance for newly arrived Southern Blacks.

Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)

• Founded by Marcus Garvey in 1914.

  • Promoted racial pride and economic independence.

  • Garvey's vision included Pan-Africanism and aspirations for African independence.

  • Created businesses under the Negro Factory Corporation, focusing on self-sufficiency and Negro market products.

  • Garnered millions of followers but faced criticism from contemporaries like Du Bois.

Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. Du Bois

• Booker T. Washington:

  • Advocated for vocational education and economic development.

  • Promoted an accommodationist approach: working within segregation for gradual improvement.

  • Gained respect from white philanthropists and presidents; promoted industrial education through Tuskegee Institute.

• W.E.B. Du Bois:

  • Emphasized higher education and civil rights activism.

  • Critiqued Washington’s approach in his work, "Souls of Black Folks" (1903).

  • Advocated for the "Talented Tenth," leading a more militant civil rights stance.

  • Launched the Niagara Movement to combat racial injustice and promote voting rights.

Ida B. Wells: A Trailblazer Against Lynching

• Early activist against lynching, born in 1862 in Mississippi.

• Gained attention after refusing to give up her seat on a train (1884).

• Co-owned and edited anti-lynching publications; internationally campaigned for justice post the lynching of her friend Thomas Moss.

• Major works: Southern Horrors (1892) and The Red Record (1895).

Conclusion

• The multifaceted approaches of African Americans encompassed the use of organizations, activism, and protest against systemic injustices. The interplay between leaders like Washington and Du Bois illustrated the range of strategies considered necessary during the Jim Crow era.

W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963): A prominent African American sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist, Du Bois was instrumental in advocating for civil rights and higher education for Black Americans.

• Education: First African American to earn a PhD from Harvard University. Influenced by European sociological methods and sought to bring social science analysis to issues of race.

• Talented Tenth: Du Bois believed in the leadership of a "Talented Tenth" of the Black population, who would receive higher education and help uplift the rest of the community.

• Niagara Movement: Co-founded in 1905, this organization aimed at combating racial discrimination and advocating for civil rights.

• NAACP: Helped establish the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909 and served as the Director of Research and Editor of its journal, "The Crisis."

• Publications: Authored significant works, such as "The Souls of Black Folk" (1903), which critiqued the prevailing philosophies of his contemporaries, particularly Booker T. Washington's accommodationist approach.

• Legacy: Du Bois's ideas and activism laid the groundwork for future civil rights efforts, emphasizing the need for legal and political advocacy against systemic racism.