A.P. Us History Dbq of 1989

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DBQ 1989 During the late 1800’s, Blacks were facing many obstacles. Some of which were poverty, discrimination, and insufficient education, which in turn, led to illiteracy and therefore, a lack of jobs. Fortunately, this started to change from the period of 1877-1915 with the help of Black activists W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. These leaders held very different opinions and strategies to deal with the problems the Black Americans were facing at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth. W. E. B. Du Bois was one of the most important leaders of Black protest in the United States. Du Bois believed that Blacks should constantly speak out against discrimination. To fight racial discrimination, Du Bois founded the Niagara Movement in 1905 (Document F). The movement placed the responsibility for racial problems in the United States on Whites. It urged Blacks to fight for what they are entitled to and thus opposed the views of Booker T. Washington, who pressured Blacks to stop demanding equal rights. Du Bois strongly promoted education for Blacks. Without education, millions of Blacks would not qualify for jobs. His education was responsible for his leadership. Du Bois was the first Black-American to earn a Ph.D. at Harvard University. His wide usage of vocabulary helped him gain the support of many. Du Bois believed that in order for people to work and make progress they need to have basic rights. He believed Blacks could not be deprived of education, the right to vote, and other civic rights (Document E). Du Bois also helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which was a civil rights organization to oppose segregation and racial discrimination. It fought the long opposed concept of “separate but equal” determined in Plessy vs. Fergusson. One of the reasons the NAACP was established was
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