Segregation-Culture-Mishael Theis

After the US was reconstructed, Southern states passed laws that took away the rights of African Americans. The biggest right that was taken away was the right to vote. While the 15th Amendment gives African Americans the right to vote, Southern states took this away by requiring poll tax. This required voters to pay $2 and voters had to be able to read and understand the state constitution. To keep the number of white people voting from dropping, states brought in the "Grandfather Clause". This clause let any man vote as long as he had an ancestor who could vote 1867, which most black men did not.

Three African Americans stood out more than the rest in fighting for their rights in the late 19th century, these three are Ida Wells, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Booker Washington. Wells was a strong advocate of the elimination of lynchings. While Congress rejected her ideas, she did have an effect; the number of lynchings dropped off in the 1900s. Du Bois believed in that African Americans must persevere for their civil rights, especially voting. Washington believed that instead of focusing on civil rights, African Americans should focus on succeeding in the economy. He believed that civil rights could be achieved later on, while getting an education and rising up in the economy was vital now. In the end, neither of their wishes happened anytime soon. The fight for civil rights was a long battle that would end many years later.

Booker T. Washington

W.E.B. Du Bois