The Progressive Era: The 19th Amendment, Jim Crow Laws, Plessy Vs. Ferguson, Role And Rise Of Andrew Carnegie

Bringing you all things on the period of social activism and political reform!

The 19th Amendment

The 19th amendment states “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” this was to make sure that women have the right to vote and made sure women had the same rights as men in politics. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, and other women were activists that made a great contribution fighting for the cause. This amendment was proposed in May 19, 1919, by congress and then passed on August 18, 1920, after women all over America faced discrimination and inequality. When the civil war began, many people were not switched their focus from women’s rights to helping and contributing to the war. Soon after the war, the focus was brought back. Passing the 19th amendment pushed many other countries to pass a law to give women the right to vote.

Jim Crow Laws

Jim Crow was a character who was often used to make fun of and mock African Americans. Jim Crow laws were laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States. This was the separation of whites and people of color starting in the 1870’s and used in the majority of public places. These laws were meant to encourage ‘separate but equal’ but ended up affecting a lot of African Americans’ access to education. There was also a social rule called ‘Jim Crow Etiquette’. Jim Crow etiquette was a rule on how African Americans should act when talking or interacting with a white person. If you went against these social rules you wouldn’t be punished by law but did result in some type of consequence. A consequence of disobeying the main laws could be as bad as being lynched. The picture below shows a list of all the laws.

Plessy vs Ferguson

Plessy vs Ferguson was a case where Homer Plessy who was ⅛ black and ⅞ white was forced to sit on the black part of the bus in 1892. This was important because in this time period anyone with a drop of black in there blood was considered a person of color. Him and a group of men in the same situation sat in the white section of the bus and refused to move when asked to. This resulted in them getting arrested and going to court. The state of Louisiana’s decided guilty in the case so Plessy took it to a higher power of court who ruled guilty because they did not want to go against the 14th amendment.

Role and Rise of Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie was an American industrialist who was very famous in the steel industry then became a famous philanthropist. Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland in 1835. When he was 13 he and his family moved to the U.S. and settled down in Pittsburgh. Andrew then went to Missipi to build a bridge for a company and used a lot of steel which led him to create Carnegie Steel. This was important in transportation, and building and was a huge benefit. This is what caused him to become big.

Work Cited

1. “The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow. Jim Crow Stories. Plessy v. Ferguson: PBS.” The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow. Jim Crow Stories. Plessy v. Ferguson | PBS, https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_plessy.html.
2. “Plessy v. Ferguson.” Google, Google, https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/black-history/plessy-v-ferguson
3. “19th Amendment.” Google, Google, https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/womens-history/19th-amendment-1.
4. “Constitute.” Constitute, https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/United_States_of_America_1992.
5. “Jim Crow Laws.” Google, Google, https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/early-20th-century-us/jim-crow-laws.
6. “Andrew Carnegie.” Google, Google, https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.biography.com/.amp/business-figure/andrew-carnegie.