The Gilded Age - 1542 Words

The Gilded Age was a time of reconstruction and change for most white Americans, but as for African Americans, the Gilded Age was full of inequality and discrimination. Many groups and individuals attempted to make changes for black Americans but few were successful. Though it was not until the Progressive Era that racial segregation started gaining attention and African Americans, as well as those who wanted them to be treated equally, began making changes and their fight against racial segregation began to improve. The Niagara movement was a black civil rights organization founded in 1905 made up of the intellectual elite of the African American community, founded by W.E.B. DuBois and William Monroe Trotter. It was called the Niagara†¦show more content†¦The Supreme Court avoided the discussion of the 14th amendment because it banned states from making laws that deny citizens of their rights. The Supreme Court argued that the 14th amendment was to enforce equality of the two races before the law therefore laws requiring their separation did not suggest another race was inferior to the other. The Plessy vs. Ferguson case proves that racial segregation was very real and all attempts at changing this long-standing tradition were unsuccessful. Racial segregation although seemed to be a point of the past stood strong when civil rights laws were attempting to be passed after the Civil War, especially when Buffalo soldiers served in the army during the Spanish American War, and ideals clashed when Booker T Washington and W.E.B. DuBois disagreed and disputed about the black community. After the American Civil War, many laws went into place to ensure the citizenship of our brothers and sisters. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was a proceeding of the 15th Amendment that was passed on February 3, 1870. The Civil Rights Act granted citizenship to all males in the United States of America and did not discriminate against â€Å"race or color, or previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude†, rather than giving voting rights to citizens. Another Act that was passed was the 1875 Civil Rights