The lives of African Americans were not easy during the period of 1877 to 1925. They still had not received full citizenship with most living in the southern states. Because of this, the majority of African Americans lived in the southern states. Because of this they had to fight many battles. They were not treated as equals to their white neighbors. Many of these men were farmers because that was all they could do. The women were usually maids for white families. Blacks were constantly harassed during this time period. If they owned something of value they were pressured to sell the goods. This was an effort to keep African Americans down. The whites did not like the blacks to have an opportunity to advance. It was not a desire of the entire nation for the living situations to change in the United States.
Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Dubois were two respected leaders during this time period. These leaders had very different views on how segregation and racism should be handled. Booker T. Washington did not mind being segregated in social settings. He didn't believe that the different races liked the same thing anyway. But, he did think that there should be should have a chance to succeed in life. This was his reasoning for wanting everyone to learn a trade. This was one of the reasons he opened the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Washington thought that if blacks learned a vocational skill, they would have something that no one could take away from them. This would provide them with the means to improve their lives. Booker T. Washington expressed his view on segregation in Atlanta, and shortly after the Supreme Court made segregation legal as long as everything was equal. Hence the phrase, "separate but equal".
W. E. B. Dubois did not agree with Washington's teachings. Dubois started the Niagra Movement, which helped to establish the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, (NAACP).
