Essay Database

During the time between 1877 and 1915, black Americans experienced many social, economic and political difficulties. Many African Americans supported the program of Booker T. Washington, the most prominent black leader of the late 19th and early 20th century, who advised them to focus on modest economic goals and to accept temporary social discrimination. Another group of African Americans, led by the African-American intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois, wanted to challenge segregation through political action. Washington …

…on the solution to poverty and discrimination faced by black Americans. They both encouraged other black civil rights activists like Ida Wells Barnett, who was also a feminist, to object to African Americans being deprived of the fundamental rights of American citizens (Doc H). Although they disagreed on some viewpoints, they paved the way for many institutions and organizations that protected the civil rights of African Americans and still do protect their civil rights today.