In the early years of the 20th century, Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey developed competing visions for the future of African Americans.
- Civil War Reconstruction failed to assure full rights of citizens to free slaves.
o By 1890s KKK terrorism, lynchings, racial segregation laws, etc were mockery of 13th, 14th, 15th amendments passed after Civil War.
Booker T. Washington
- Born a slave on Virginia plantation, explaining his advocation of submission.
o Self-made man
- Designed, developed and guided the Tuskegee Institute
o Emphasized agricultural and industrial training.
o Advocated that blacks to put aside immediate demands for voting and ending racial segregation.
- In his Atlanta Address, he accepted the reality of racial segregation but insisted that blacks be included in the economic progress of the South.
o “In all things social we can be as separate as the fingers yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress”.
o “No race that has anything to contribute to the markets of the world is long in any degree ostracized”
- 2 important quotes in the Atlanta Address.
- Widely accepted by whites.
o Had aid of philanthropists including Andrew Carnegi.
- Controlled a number of newspapers including the New York Age and attacked anyone who questioned his vision.
W.E.B Du Bois
- Born as a free black in Massachusetts, a liberal state in the North.
- Envisioned the creation of The Talented Tenth, educated black leaders who would lead blacks to securing equal rights and higher economic standards.
- Attacked Washington’s acceptance of racial segregation, arguing that this only encourages whites to deny blacks the right to vote and undermine their pride and progress.
o Lynchings and riots against blacks led to formation of NAACP which he co-founded.
o Editor of the organization’s journal, The Crisis.
§ Would be famous for the court case Brown v. Board of Education which overturned Plessey v. Ferguson.
- Used the Crisis to attack Booker T. Washington, but by by the time of his death his Tuskegee vision had lost influence among many African Americans.
- Du Bois would become disillusioned and join the US Communist Party – the only party to provide equal rights for all.
Marcus Garvey
- Founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).
o Stressed racial pride and self improvement
o Garvey was an admirer of Washington.
- Had greater international ambitions including development of black-owned industries and shipping lines.
o Early success was The Black Star Line, first black owned shipping company in the United States.
o Publicity over the Black Star Line caused Garvey to promote this and other UNIA projects.
- 1920 over 20,000 people attended Garvey’s first UNIA convention.
o The Declaration of Negro Rights was issued which denounced lynchings, segregated public transportation, job discrimination and inferior black public schools.
§ Also demanded “Africa for Africans”.
o Without consulting any black people, they named Garvey the “Provisional President of Africa”.
- HV believed that whites would never accept black Americans as equals.
o Therefore called for separate self-development of blacks in the United States.
- Urged blacks to return to Africa including settling them in Liberia, the only African nation governed by Africans.
o HV lacked the necessary funds and few blacks had any interests in returning to Africa.
- Garvey declared that goals of UNIA and KKK were the same – completely separate black and white societies.
o Criticism among his followers grew.
- Poor economy and near-bankruptcy of Black Star Line eventually got Garvey arrested for mail fraud in attempts to sell more stock in failing company
o Trail proved he was a poor businessman, but jury convicted him anyways and he was sentenced to prison.
The Future of the Civil Rights
- Visions of Washington, Du Bois, and Garvey fell short of settling future of black people in Amer. Society.
o In mid-20th, Martin Luther King Jr. would pursue strategy of non-violence.
o Leaders of NAACP including Thurgood Marshall worked through legal cases.
o Militant stands included the Black Muslims led by Elijah Muhammad which advocated separation.
§ Malcom X broke from the muslims and formed rival faction opposing separation.
§ Black Panthers led by Huey Newton would prepare for revolution.
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