African-Americans in the Progressive Era

Bottom of Form

The Progressive Era spanned the years from 1890 to 1920 when the United States was experiencing rapid growth. Immigrants from eastern and southern Europe arrived in droves. Cities were overcrowded, and those living in poverty suffered greatly. Politicians in the major cities controlled their power through various political machines. Companies were creating monopolies and controlling many of the nation’s finances.

THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT

A concern emerged from many Americans who believed that great change was needed in society to protect everyday people. As a result, the concept of reform took place in society. Reformers such as social workers, journalists, educators and even politiciansemerged to change society. This was known as theProgressive Movement.

One issue was consistently ignored: the plight of African-Americans in the United States. African-Americans were faced with consistent racism in the form of segregation in public spaces and disenfranchisement from the political process. Access to quality healthcare, education, and housing was scarce, and lynchings were rampant in the South.

To counter these injustices, African-American reformists also emerged to expose and then fight for equal rights in the United States.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN REFORMERS OF THE PROGRESSIVE ERA

  • Booker T. Washingtonwas aneducator who established the Tuskegee Institute. Washington argued that African-Americans should learn trades that would offer them the opportunity to be progressive citizens. Instead of fighting against discrimination, Washington argued that African-Americans should use their education and knowledge to become self-sufficient in American society and not in competition with white Americans.
  • W.E.B Du Boiswas the founder of theNiagara Movementand later the NAACP,Du Boisdisagreed with Washington. He argued that African-Americans should consistently fight for racial equality.
  • Ida B. Wellswasa journalist who wrote about the horrors of lynching in the South. Wells work could be considered muckraking as it led to the development of the Anti-Lynching Campaign.

ORGANIZATIONS

  • National Association of Colored Womenwas established in 1896 by a group of middle-class African-American women. The goal of the NACW was to develop the economic, moral, religious and social welfare of women and children. The NACW also worked to end social and racial inequality.
  • Niagara Movementwas developedin 1905 by William Monroe Trotter and W. E. B. Du Bois. Trotter and DuBois' mission was to develop an aggressive way of fighting racial inequality.
  • National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoplewas an outgrowth of the Niagara Movement and was established in 1909. Since then the organization has been essential to fighting social and racial inequality through legislation, court cases, and protests.
  • National Urban Leaguewasestablished in 1910, this organization's mission was to endracial discriminationand provide economic empowerment to African-Americans who migrated from southern rural areas to northern cities through the Great Migration.

WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE

One of the major initiatives of the Progressive Era was thewomen's suffrage movement. However, many organizations that were established to fight for the voting rights of women either marginalized or ignored African-American women.

As a result, African-American women such asMary Church Terrellbecame dedicated to organizing women on the local and national level to fight for equal rights in society. The work of white suffrage organizations along with African-American women's organizations ultimately led to the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, which granted women with the right to vote.

AFRICAN-AMERICANNEWSPAPERS

While mainstream newspapers during the Progressive Era focused on the horrors of urban blight and political corruption, lynching and the effects ofJim Crowlaws were largely ignored.

African-Americans began publishing daily and weekly newspapers such as the Chicago Defender, Amsterdam News,​ and the Pittsburgh Courier to expose the local and national injustices of African-Americans. Known as theBlack Press, journalists such asWilliam Monroe Trotter,James Weldon Johnson, andIda B. Wellsall wrote about lynching, segregation as well as the importance of becoming socially and politically active.

Also, monthly publications such as The Crisis, the official magazine of the NAACP and Opportunity, published by theNational Urban Leaguebecame necessary to spreading the news about the positive achievements of African-Americans as well.

EFFECTS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN INITIATIVES DURING THE PROGRESSIVE ERA

Although the African-American fight to end discrimination did not lead to immediate changes in legislation, several changes did take place that impacted African-Americans. Organizations such as the Niagara Movement, NACW, NAACP, NUL all resulted in building stronger African-American communities by providing healthcare, housing, and educational services.

The reporting of lynching and other acts of terror in African-American newspapers ultimately led to mainstream newspapers publishing articles and editorials on this issue, making it a national initiative. Lastly, the work of Washington, Du Bois, Wells, Terrell and countless others ultimately led to the protests of the Civil Rights Movement sixty years later.