Effects Of Racism In The Gilded Age

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Mark Twain famously named the late 19th century the "Gilded Age". By this, he meant that the period was glittering on the surface yet corrupt underneath. The late 19th century was a period of greed, deception, shady business practices, Robber Barons, and dishonorable political leaders. A huge problem during this time was racism and Social Darwinism. Though slavery was abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, black people were still harshly treated as inferiors, and felt lost finding their place in the world. Luckily, there were reformers and progressives who fought to resolve these issues at hand. Progressive Era reformers, Booker T Washington and W.E.B DuBois fought to end racism and ethnic prejudice during this time. Washington and …show more content…

African-American slavery ended by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, though their rights as human beings were hugely overlooked. African-American citizens were treated as inferiors and were denied of their rights as individuals. The Fourteenth Amendment banned the deprivation of Locke’s natural rights on any individual, however, schools, busses, theaters, and railroad trains were still racially segregated. In June of 1892, Homer A. Plessy sought to challenge the constitutionality of these laws in Covington, …show more content…

Washington devoted his life to changing the circumstances for African-Americans and improving their lives. Washington believed that the only way to solve the ethnic problems facing America was to cooperate and comply with white men and their ideals. Washington believed that a society could thrive in segregation just so long as white and black men shared equal rights and mutual respect. Though Washington openly supported black lives taking the “back seat” in society, he believed that it was the only way to achieve compromise and

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