Civil Rights 1877-1903
By, Will Dedman, Mike Abbot and
Will Jellis
What are civil rights?
• Civil Rights are those rights which citizens in a
democracy are entitled to expect.
• Such as the right to vote, the right to a high
standard of education, the right to work, the
right to receive the protection of the law etc…
• They are the rights you yourself would expect
to receive in your every day life.
Section 1
1877-1889
After the end of reconstruction in
1877…
• Civil rights which had been granted
to blacks were vulnerable to a
growing racist tide of opinion that
was at its most intense in the south,
but also had an impact of the
growing number of African
Americans now living in the north.
By 1877 the reality was…
1. Few blacks owned land – many had access to land through
share cropping (where contracts were unfairly favoured to
the whites)
2. Employment was limited (whites did not want to work with
blacks)
3. Education for blacks was inferior
4. Founding racist groups e.g. KKK focussed on restoring slave
based plantation economy and carried out appauling
violent activities
5. Racial tension and abuse was unleashed by the political
moves
However…
1. African Americans had learned to stand up for
themselves, and having tasted the benefits of
freedom, wanted more.
2. They had re-established family units
3. There had been the growth of Blacks solidarity
especially through the church. Many black ministers
became politically active.
4. In the north there was a greater possibility of
franchise and their combined votes were capable of
determining the outcome of elections at local levels.
• In 1877 the period of reconstruction
ended. The southern state legislators
were dominated by democrats who
were allowed to pursue policies of
segregation and discrimination
unimpeded by federal intervention.
Jim Crow Laws 1887-1891
• Institutional segregation in schools, trains,
hospitals etc.
• This is where the expression “separate but
equal” came from. However, realistically they
were not equal.
Lynchings
• 1890’s – 1875 cases of lynchings against
blacks.
• This was effectively aggressive mob action e.g.
stoning or public hangings.
• This would often be a spectacle for the entire
white community to “enjoy”, including
children.
• Due to the lawless execution of these
lynchings, blacks felt fearful to speak out
against them.
Booker T Washington
• In 1881 he established his own institute in
Alabama for literacy, numeracy and practical
skills.
• Became a main spokesman for blacks and had
great vision, ability and leadership.
• Set very strict standards of behaviour with the
theory that, if you show respect, you will gain
respect. If you use violence, you lose
sympathy.
W.E.B Du Bois
• He campaigned against the Jim Crow laws and
lynching.
• He demanded full civil rights.
• First ever coloured individual to gain a PHD
from Harvard in 1895, which was a huge
achievement and was therefore a great role
model for blacks throughout the country.
Section 2
1890-1902
Developments in the period 1891-1902
• This period saw the expansion of segregation
laws
• More individuals emerged that supported
black civil rights
• Black civil rights seemed to be getting worse
before they got better
• The emergence of black businesses saw
increased tension occurring between races
Major Figures of the time
-Ida B. Wells
• After 1891 segregation laws were formally extended to include public
places of all kinds.
• In one case a black woman named Ida B. Wells, refused to give her seat up
to a white man on a train. She was subsequently removed from the train,
resulting in her suing the train company.
• Ida B. Wells is a prime example of courage at a time of oppression. This is
highlighted in her open opposition to lynching as well as being a staunch
advocate for the rights of women and their right to vote.
• She moved to New York where under the help of a T. Thomas Fortune she
helped spread her view.
• Due to a southern defence that any anti-lynching laws would interfere
with states rights however, she failed to gain support from Congress or the
President.
Booker T Washington
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1895
Saw the occurrence of the Atlanta compromise. This was a significant aspect of Washington’s policy; he
put forward the idea that if whites could regard blacks as potential economic partners rather than
dangerous political opponents the race issue would be defused. However Washington believed in
accepting segregation and prioritising it beneath the development of education and economic
development.
The Atlanta compromise forced the blacks into a position of accommodation. This being a forced
acceptance of an unpopular policy. This drove Washington’s critics claiming he had no interest in
abolishing black segregation.
Dubois criticised Washington, claiming his policy and views were perhaps even dangerous for the
development of the black race.
Although Dubois agreed that what Washington was suggesting was much need for the black community,
he argued that his policy was to lightweight, it didn’t aim at developing the system or making any
significant or bold changes. Also his lack of attention to black segregation brought him much unpopularity.
In his earlier years he could afford to ignore his critics, but as time moved on and his policy appeared to be
making no significant change to black civil rights, they began to damage his reputation.
Although he was, by the end of his time, more popular with whites than blacks he had contributed to the
black community. He had helped tie in political contacts of the white community with the black
community. He had developed from slave to college principal, taking blacks a step further into civil
development.
However for all his power he failed to reach his potential. Making no real advances in black civil rights, and
the failure of his policy he attracted many critics. He had lost the support of many of his black supporters.
Where did Blacks stand in society
at this time?
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Although steps were being taken to improve civil rights for blacks, the vast majority of the white
population still reserved a prejudice against them.
1890 Understanding clause introduced to the Mississippi constitution to restrict the voting capacity of the
black African population. The clause stated that a voter must be able to read and understand the
constitution in order to vote. This would have stopped many poorly educated (by no fault of their own)
African-Americans from voting.
Not only this but those Black Africans who did have the ability to vote and set up businesses of their own
found it very difficult to do so
The majority of blacks in the 1890’s lived in the south almost 90%. Those who did venture to immigrate to
towns and cities to try their chances at profiting from the developing and growing American economy.
However many white employers were reluctant to employ black workers becoming obsessed with the idea
that there was a growing tension between whites and blacks, also blacks working in a close proximity to
white women was also frowned upon.
However glimmers’ of hope were emerging for the black worker. For example a man called Dubois
believed in not just attempting to educate the black American, but to raise his self-esteem. "The idea
should not be simply to make men carpenters, but to make carpenters men," His policy to lift the self
belief of the African American was unique, and new.
Jacob Riis writes ‘how the other half lives’. His book was aimed at highlighting the social imbalance of
American society, in that 99% of the American population was possessed by the remaining 1%. He used
photos to illustrate the poor living conditions of immigrants in New York city. His book was a prime
example that there was support for the Black African population.
Section 3
1903-1915
Major Events of the Period
Improving
• 1903- President Theodore Roosevelt risked physical
harm by saying in a speech; “I fought beside coloured
troops at Santiago, and I hold that if a man is good
enough to be put up and shot at then he is good
enough for me to do what I can to get him a square
deal.”
• 1905- The Niagara movement.
• 1909- Forming of the NAACP.
• 1909- Meeting at the national conference of the
negro.
• 1911- Development of the National Urban League.
Major Events of the Period
Decreasing
• 1906- A black man was put on display along
with an orang-utan and labelled ‘the missing
link’.
• 1908- The Springfield riot.
• 1913- President Wilson was elected.
• 1913- Wilson decided to increase levels of
segregation in certain sectors of the
government.
• 1915- Death of Booker T Washington.
Prolific leaders of the period
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Theodore Roosevelt (President 1901-1909)
William H Taft (President 1909-1913)
Woodrow Wilson (President 1913-1921)
Booker T Washington
William Du Bois
William Trotter
Ida B Wells
T. Thomas Fortune
Summary of the period
• Between 1903 and 1915, civil rights for coloured
individuals saw no or little improvement. The
standard of education increased, however, not at a
comparable rate to the improvements in education
for whites. The north south divide continued, with
many coloured individuals migrating to the north
where civil rights had become more established. The
introduction of the Democrat Wilson in to the
presidency, who had predominantly racist opinions
undoubtedly saw a decrease in civil rights/ an
increase in segregation. I think it is fair to say that in
the early 1900’s segregation was at its height and
civil rights for coloured people had only increased
slightly since the end of the reconstruction.
1877
1889
1890
1902
1890
1890
Understandi Sherman
ng clause
Anti-trust
act
1903
1903
1905
1891
1895
1896
1897
1898
1901
Segregation Atlanta
Supreme
Negro Grandfather Pres.
McKinley
laws
Compromise Court rules Academyclause
extended
separate
founded introduced
but equal
1915
1906
1908
1909
Orang- Springfield The
Roosevelts’ The
NAACP
Speech
Niagara utan
Riot
movement
1913
1913
President
Wilson
elected
Increased
segregation
1915
Washington
dies