Essay On African Americans During The Gilded Age

The United States, during the Gilded Age through the Progressive era, experienced a period of unprecedented economic, technological, and industrial growth that benefited millions of American citizens. Moreover, for many Americans it was an era of “ever-expanding progress” (Major Problems, 240) that elevated the United States into a world power. However, behind this veneer of prosperity remained the costs of progress in addition to the rancid core of racism and white hegemony that forced many minorities, mainly African Americans, into the role of second class citizens. According to T.J. Jackson Lears, “Dreams of rebirth involved renewal of white power, especially in the former Confederacy. Elite white Southerners recaptured state governments and their successors solidified white rule—purifying electoral politics by disenfranchising blacks, recasting social life by codifying racial segregation, and revitalizing white identity through the occasional blood of sacrifice of lynching.” (T.J. Jackson Lears, 10) …show more content…
For the African American community it was a period of terror, neglect, disenfranchisement, poverty, and veritable slavery to a white power structure. However, in this age of desperation and despondency, the African American community prevailed through perseverance and self-actualization by resisting an oppressive racist government. By finding their origins and cultural roots the black community was able to revitalize their culture and society despite the intense opposition of white America. Consequently, this process of revival assisted many African Americans in regaining their humanity, rights, and agency. Furthermore, this resistance over the course of several decades established the foundations for the modern civil rights movement that toppled this oppressive and racist