Life at the Turn of the 20th Century 1870-1915

The Expansion of education

The Growth of Public Schools Few opportunities for minorities; few students graduated Learned basics; belief that democracy performs best when citizens are literate (can read and write) Most rural students only went to school Nov-Apr, had to help with crops

The Growth of Public Schools, cont’d Public schools helped assimilate immigrants into the American way of life Black, Hispanic, and Asian students often went to segregated, inferior schools from white students

Higher Education Expands 1880-1900—150 new colleges, enrollment doubles African Americans Accepted into few “white” colleges 1890; 1900 2,000 graduates from 34 black colleges Few opportunities for black women Women’s colleges Public colleges established women’s branches, some co-ed universities Few scholarships, faced discrimination in classes

Two Perspectives on African American Education Booker T. Washington Founded Tuskegee Institute in Atlanta Encouraged students to put aside desire for social equality and focus on economic security with vocational skills View reassured white people worried that educated black people would seek equality within society

Two Perspectives on African American Education, cont’d W. E. B. DuBois 1st African American Ph.D. from Harvard Believed brightest African Americans had to lead the quest for political and social equality and civil rights Encouraged liberal arts education rather than vocational training 1905 helped found the Niagara Movement for full civil liberties; he later worked with the NAACP

New forms of entertainment

Performance and Recreation Vaudeville—inexpensive variety shows Movies—1903 The Great Train Robbery; 1908, 8,000 nickleodeons; better technology led to bigger theaters, longer films, movie stars Circus—1872 circus train brought it all across the US; advance advertisement, parade

Performance and Recreation, cont’d Amusement parks/trolley parks—rides, beaches, music, games, vaudeville; Coney Island Sports Baseball most popular Football, basketball (only completely American sport) Women participated , required new clothing styles

Reading Newspapers—information and entertainment; yellow journalism (sensational news coverage of murder, vice, scandal) Magazines—rags to riches (Horatio Alger), helpful articles, advertising Popular fiction—”dime novels” of rags to riches or adventure stories; serious novels, social protest novels; many novels included “local color” to provide information about distant parts of the country

Music Jazz—diverse musical influences in New Orleans; jazz and jazz dancing became a national passion At home—player piano; phonograph

The World Of Jim Crow

Post-Reconstruction Discrimination Voting Restrictions Fear that blacks would gain too much power Poll tax—fee that had to be paid before voting Property requirement—had to own land/house to vote Literacy test—had to prove ability to read/write Grandfather clause—exemption for white people from the voting restrictions if they had voted before or if their grandfather had been able to vote

Segregation—separation of people by race Jim Crow laws in the South required segregation Applied to parks, schools, transportation, hotels, hospitals, restrooms, water fountains, theaters

Plessy v Ferguson (1896) Supreme Court ruled that “separate but equal” was allowable

Violence or threats were a way to keep African Americans “in their place” Black Americans were required to show deference to white Americans Lynching—murder of an accused person by a mob without a trial De facto (happens in fact but not required by law) segregation in North

Resisting Discrimination Niagara Movement—black organization that insisted on equality and vowed never to accept inferiority or bow to oppression Ida B. Wells—began an editorial and speaking campaign against lynching

NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) formed in 1909 Worked through court system to abolish segregation and discrimination, to oppose racism and to gain civil rights for African Americans

Overcoming obstacles More aid societies formed in African American community African American intellectuals published literature, history, sociological studies Black businesses expanded Madame C J Walker—1st African American millionaire, born to sharecroppers, developed hair care products, sold through mail order, began beauty school chain then salons, spoke out on segregation, discrimination

The Changing Roles of Women

“The Woman Question” Should they be able to Vote Control their income and property Have access to higher education and professional jobs

Women’s Reality Worked at home and on farms Many migrating/immigrating to cities for factory jobs Small number entering professions Volunteering for reform movements Moving from producer to consumer

Working outside the home Women were expected to quit working if they married, but increasingly large numbers of married women were working Jobs available: domestic servants, nurses, teachers, typists, operators Never moved into supervisory roles Women were not considered capable of professional training; some found opportunity in women’s colleges and in hospitals

New Women, New Ideas Question of how should women dress and behave added to “woman question” Active lifestyle led to adoption of shorter hair, shorter skirts Courting changed to dating without supervision divorce rate began to rise for women who weren’t fulfilled in role Margaret Sanger pushed for legal information on birth control Most women wanted traditional role Suffrage would be the goal most would unite behind