Black Populism for kids: The History of
Black Populism
Following the Civil War 1861-1865, the majority of the
black population (90%) were engaged in agricultural labor.
Despite obtaining freedom from slavery, the lives of many
African Americans did not improve. Racial discrimination and the
system of segregation was rife. Living and working conditions
were appalling. The history of Black Populism began when African
American farmers formed the Colored Farmers'
National Alliance and Cooperative Union in 1886. Other farming
organizations also emerged such as the Cooperative
Workers of America and the Colored Agricultural Wheels.
The Colored Farmers Alliance, whilst being segregated from the
white Southern and Northern Farming Alliances, was however
integrated in the farmer-led pressure groups which came to be
known as the Populist movement.
Between 1886 and 1898 Black farmers, sharecroppers and the
laborers on the farms organized their communities to fight
against the infamous
Jim
Crow laws. The Jim Crow Laws were
statutes enacted by Southern states in the 1880s that legalized
segregation between African Americans and whites. Black
Populism was fiercely resisted by the white plantations owners
and other wealthy farmers who, through the political power of the
Democratic Party, maintained tight control in the South.
Black Populism for kids:
The Granger
Movement
The ideals of Populism were shared by both black and
white farmers. There was an affinity between black and white
farmers based on common grievances. Black and white farmers in
the south shared a common goal to fight injustice and
oppression suffered by all of the small farmers of the United
States. The farmers in the south followed the example of the
northern farmers who had established the
Granger Movement
whose goals were to promote the
social needs of farmers by reducing isolation, addressing
the economic needs of farmers and advancing new methods of
agriculture. The Granger movement
then began to fight against exploitation by
merchants, the grain elevator operators and the railroads. The
farmers in the south went on to fight the injustice and
oppression suffered in the cotton farming industry.
Black Populism for kids: Similarities
between Black and White Farmers
in the South
The livelihoods of the southern farmers were
based on the cotton crop. The similarities between poor white
farmers and African American farmers were:
-
Poverty, debt and
oppression
-
Lack of education and
high levels of illiteracy
-
Poor living conditions
that had few comforts and only just met basic requirements
-
The
enforced, strict labor conditions of
the
Sharecropping
system
-
They were forced to
pay the same high prices for rent and farm supplies
-
They were both equally
burdened with heavy taxes
Black Populism for kids: Differences
between Black and White Farmers
in the South
The Black and poor white farmers in the South
shared common problems but attempts to unite in a common cause
failed because of basic differences between the two groups:
Black Populism for kids: Racial
Discrimination
In addition to the shared problems the African
American farmers also had suffered from the injustices afforded
to them because of their race and the color of their skin:
-
Immediately following the Civil War and the 13th Amendment
abolishing slavery, the
Black Codes
were passed. The Black codes were a series of laws
passed by southern states were passed to restrict the ex-slaves new found freedom
-
Black Segregation
and racial discrimination prevented freedmen from buying
land
-
White Supremacists groups terrorized the Black
population
-
In 1880
the
plight of African American farmers were increased when the
Jim Crow Laws
were passed in the South legalizing
segregation
Black Populism for kids:
The Rise of Populism
in America
The rise of Populism during the late 1800's incorporated a political strategy that
strongly appealed to the interests of ordinary, working class
people - black and white.
Populism supported the rights of the common working
people in their struggle against Big Business and Corporations
that were owned by the ruthless and powerful Robber Barons. Populism in America sparked
a
movement to increase the political power of farmers and laborers
and to work for legislation in their interest against the
financial magnates, the railroad owners and the Democratic party
in the South who supported their interests and promoted racial
discrimination. Black Populism was largely supported by the
American African farmers in the South who also added the fight
against black segregation and racial discrimination to their
political agenda.
The Goals of Black Populism
The Goals of Black Populism were as follows:
To abolish
segregation and racial discrimination
Publishing newspapers such as the
'National Alliance'
Raise funds for sick and disabled
members and to establish schools
Protest against lynching and other
violent activities of White
Supremacists
Protesting against the system
Convict Leasing that put freed slaves
back into forced labor on the plantations
Establishing agricultural trusts and
cooperatives
To Protest, Demonstrate and organize
strikes
Promoting political and economic
reforms
Black Populism:
The Colored
Farmers' National Alliance and Cooperative Union
White farmers formed various organizations across the
United States and in 1886 Black farmers formed the
Colored Farmers' National Alliance and Cooperative Union
to assist the economic plight of Black farmers. Its
founders included the American Africans J.J. Shuffer who was
elected as its president and H.J. Spencer who was the Secretary
of the association. Its goal was "...to elevate the colored
people of the United States..." and strongly supported
Black Populism. The Colored Farmers' National Alliance
and Cooperative Union cooperated with, but remained separate
from, the white-run farmer groups.
Black Populism for kids:
The Farmers
Alliance
The Black and White Farmers soon realized that
independent political action was necessary to achieve their
economic ends. They also realized that they needed to unite and
the Farmers Alliance was established. The Farmers Alliance
formed a
coalition of the major farming groups, including the
Colored Farmers' National Alliance and Cooperative Union, and
began to operate large
cooperatives. The farmers became politically
ambitious and, pushing for
political and economic reforms, the Populist Party was
established.
Black Populism:
The Populist Party
aka the People's Party
The Southern cotton farmers and the Northern wheat farmers
established the Populist Party in 1891. The Populist Party promoted collective
economic action by farmers and nominated candidates to run for
Congress and the state legislature. The Populist Party platform
that was commonly known as the Omaha Platform. The goal of the
Populist Party, or People's Party was:
"...to restore the
government of the Republic to the hands of the plain
people, with which class it originated".
Henry S. Doyle (1867–1913)
became a prominent African American Populist who campaigned
energetically for Equal Rights. Henry S. Doyle narrowly escaped
being lynched by a white mob for his political beliefs.
Black Populism:
The Cotton Pickers
Strike of 1891
The Colored Alliance called a general strike of
black cotton pickers in 1891 to demand a wage increase from 50
cents to $1 per hundred pounds of cotton but lacked the
resources to gain wide support. The Cotton Pickers Strike of
1891 was crushed by mobs of white vigilantes and posses that
resulted in the death of fifteen strikers, including several who
were lynched. Other strikers were thrown into jail. The violent
response to the strike action prevented similar future protests.
Black Populism
is Destroyed
In 1896 the Populist Party made a decision to
combine with the Democratic Party and the presidential candidacy
of William Jennings Bryan. Important members of the Colored
Farmers Alliance, vigorously objected to this action but their
views were overridden. The Populist Party lost its political
independence
and Black Populism was
destroyed.
Black Populism for kids: The
Call for Reform
The appalling
living and working conditions of black farmers led to the creation of the
Progressive
Movement which gave
rise to the many social and political
Progressive Reforms.
The Progressive
Movement evolves from a variety of different ideas and
activities of reformist pressure groups adhering to the belief
that
the government should take a more
active role in solving the problems of society, restoring order
and protecting the welfare of Americans. Progressive activists
fight against discrimination and inequality on the
grounds of race, religion and ethnic background.
Industrialization in America led to the Great Migration of black
farmers from the rural farming areas to new opportunities in the
urban cities. The number of black people employed in the farming
industry dropped form 90% to just 50% in less than fifty years.
The early 1900's saw the advocates of Black Populism become
activists in the Civil Rights Movement and the reformists in the
Progressive movements such as the Niagara Movement and the
founding of the
NAACP.
Black Populism Timeline:
Interesting, fast facts are provided Black Populism Timeline
detailed below. The history of Black Populism is told in a
factual timeline sequence consisting of a series of interesting, short,
fast facts and dates providing a simple method of relating the
history of the Black Populism for kids, schools and homework projects.
1865: The end of the Civil War. The 13th Amendment ended
slavery
1865 - 1866: The
Black Codes
series of laws
passed by southern states to restrict the ex-slaves
(freedmen) new found freedom.
1865:
The
Freedmen's Bureau
Bill was established as a temporary government
agency to help and protect emancipated slaves in the
South
1865:
The
Sharecropping
system resulted in
constant debt and poverty for black and white farmers.
1866: The Southern
Homestead Act was passed to establish the freed slaves
as landowners in the South. The Southern Homestead Act completely failed due to
segregation and discrimination and was repealed in 1879
1866:
The
Civil Rights Act
of 1866 was passed to protect ex-slaves
from legislation such as the Black Codes. There was a
massive backlash in the South against the law.
1866:
The
Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
was founded by White Supremacists who used terror
tactics to maintain racial
segregation in the South.
1867: The National Grange
of the Patrons of Husbandry was founded by Oliver H.
Kelley in 1867. The organization became known as the
Granger Movement.
1870: The
Enforcement Acts
(including the Ku Klux Klan Act) were passed.
1873:
The
Panic of 1873, aka 'The
Long Depression'
lasted for six years
resulting in even more hardship for the farmers and saw the rise of
Populism in
America. The ideals of Populism were supported by
black and white farmers.
1875:
The
Civil Rights
Act of 1875 was a law to protect all citizens in
their civil and legal rights but it
was not enforced, and the Supreme Court declared it
unconstitutional in 1883
1879: The
Exodusters.
A
mass migration of thousands of African Americans to
Kansas was organized by Benjamin "Pap" Singleton.
1880:
The
Jim Crow Laws of the South legalized
segregation.
1882: The Agricultural Wheel, a
cooperative alliance of small farmers in the United
States, was formed to protest against the unfair
practices of merchants, grain elevators and the
railroads. It merges with the Farmers' Alliance in 1888.
1885: A black farming alliance,
called the Sons of the Agricultural Star, was formed in
the Mississippi Delta region. It merges with the
Farmers' Alliance in 1888.
1886:
Black farmers formed the
Colored Farmers' National Alliance and Cooperative Union
which strongly supported
Black Populism. J. J. Shuffer was elected as its first
president and cooperates with, but remained separate
from, the white-run farmer groups.
1889: The Colored Farmers Alliance
begins publishing its own weekly newspaper called the
National Alliance which attracts more members. Other
activists move from farm to farm to encourage
membership.
1890: The
Progressive Movement
begins to evolve.
1891: The Colored Alliance
calls a general strike of cotton-pickers
1891: The
Populist Party aka 'The People's Party' is formed
1892: Democratic leaders began appealing to
racism to win back the poor white vote.
Black Americans were deprived
of the right to vote by imposing eligibility requirements of a
poll tax of $2 and a literacy test.
The 'grandfather clause' enabled many poor whites to avoid the
voting restrictions
1895: Booker T.
Washington presents his 'Atlanta compromise' to avoid
confrontation over racism and segregation, instead supporting
long-term educational and economic advancement in the black
community.
1896: The Federal
government Sanctions Racial Segregation as a result of the
Plessy vs. Ferguson Case
1896:
The Presidential Election of 1896 ends of the Populist Party who
combine forces with the Democrat Party and
Black Populism was destroyed.
Black
History for kids: Important People and Events
For visitors interested in African American History
refer to Black History - People and Events.
A useful resource for
teachers, kids, schools and colleges undertaking
projects for the Black History Month. |