Group 1: Chapter 21
Set I (Mother Jones)
1. Why did Jones believe Palmer's meeting was misguided?
Mother Jones respectfully brought attention to Mrs. Palmer that she was not
thinking in reality. She realized that the American citizens - the working class and the
Deleted: Citizens
capitalist class would never come to a common ground and settle any conflicts they
had. Jones reminded Palmer of the capitalist class; the class Palmer viewed herself in.
The same class that shot and killed innocent people, dragged others out of their beds
(including Mother Jones) and threw many into jail for not a single unlawful crime. Those
lawless acts were done by the very people who would attend the dinner party at
Palmer’s mansion to find common ground with the “working class”. The meeting was
misleading because Mrs. Palmer misunderstood the concept.
2. What reasons did Jones give to support her belief that Palmer's life and
environment prevented her from understanding class relationships?
The very fact that Mrs. Palmer thought it would be possible to end the separation in
which the two classes had was key. She had no understanding of their class relationship. Jones
Comment [MC1]: Be sure to get into the
practice of using Times New Roman 12-point
font, as this is the standard font for most written
work in many institutions. I’ve converted the
rest of the document for you and added
pagination, section breaks, etc.
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt, Line spacing:
single
Deleted: ¶
pointed out to Palmer that she is unaware of the world outside of her own. She has never been
part of the working class and therefore she has no idea how separate their classes are.
Jones had a hard life. She immigrated to North America from Ireland to escape the Irish
Deleted: ¶
famine. She started work early, learning to become a dressmaker and teacher. In her early 20s,
Deleted: ’
her husband, George Jones, and their four children died in the yellow fever epidemic. She then
Deleted: ,
moved to Chicago and opened her own dressmaking store. Many of the women who bought from
Deleted: Yellow
Deleted: Fever
her store were of the capitalist class.
She would sew for wealthy families and notice the contrast of the outside world from the
inside of the wealthy home. Jones saw the jobless, hungry people walking the streets in the cold,
when the employers didn’t seem to notice or care. In the letter to Mrs. Palmer, Mother Jones
explained the tragedy of nineteen workers shot on the same path she had marched with 5,000
other women for eighteen miles through the night in search for bread to feed their children. Her
own brothers were shot and killed during the night while they slept. Jones was dragged out of her
bed into the night and thrown into jail when she never violated the law. And the one time she did
Deleted: ¶
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt
was when she had spoken to a fellow worker. Jones clearly explained to Palmer that those people
she had invited to her “meeting” were the same people who had, without any right, killed and
punished others below their class.
3. Can you think of possible responses that Palmer might have given to Jones'
Deleted: ¶
testimony of the 'lawless acts' of capitalists?
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt
We don’t know the response Mrs. Palmer might have sent to Mother Jones, but her
intention must have been to defend the reputation of the capitalist class. If Palmer had not
known about the division between the two classes, then she would not have known the history
Deleted: ¶
Deleted: Capitalist
Deleted: Class
Deleted: unknown
between them. It probably was a shock to read Mother Jones’ letter and what it contained. Many
people like Mrs. Potter Palmer were probably in denial about the stories they heard of their own
class. Of the stories Jones had openly told Palmer, they had one thing in common; they happened
at night. People of the working class were shot, dragged out of bed, and thrown into jail all
Comment [MC2]: Very interesting point!
during the nighttime. Of course no one would suspect anything, they had no proof. While reading
Mother Jones’ letter, Mrs. Potter Palmer probably tried to come up with many excuses or
defensive statements to protect her capitalist class and her own reputation because she would be
known as one of them.
4. According to Jones, what was the 'true relationship' between workers and
capitalists? What would support her belief of 'an irrepressible conflict' that existed between the
classes?
Jones expressed how the relationship between the working class and the capitalist class
Deleted: ¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
Deleted: ¶
was not seen by the capitalists but only the working class who had to deal with the wealthy.
Capitalists were, in a way, blind to the fact that there were issues going on in the working class
that involved them. The way I believe that Jones is saying that their ‘true relationship’ is defined,
is different depending on who you ask. If you simply asked someone such as Mrs. Palmer, who
Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.5"
Deleted: the
Comment [MC3]: Perhaps not blind to the
fact, but believed the issues were brought on by
the working class on themselves.
is part of the capitalist class, what the relationship is like between the working class and the
capitalist class she would say there is a perfectly healthy relationship. If you were to ask another
capitalist, possibly a man who is in charge of working class men at his corporation, he would lie
and say they working class treats him terrible so he has to punish them when really it’s simply
not true. Last, but not least, if you were to ask the working class about the relationship between
Deleted: And l
the capitalists and the workers they would easily say it was a poor relationship because the
capitalists treat them harshly.
Jones believes that their relationship will not ever be mended unless the capitalist class
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt
and the working class disappeared. She believes this because of past experience. She has
witnessed being treated poorly from the capitalists and she knows that if there are no more
classes there would be no more harsh treatment. There would be no more classes because
everyone would own their own corporation and they would do the job of the workers in their
corporation.
5. What was the background of 'Mrs. Potter Palmer'? To which 'Mrs Potter Palmer' did Mother
Deleted: ¶
Jones address her letter? How can you find out more about this particular 'Mrs Potter Palmer'?
Mrs. Potter Palmer is a capitalist. She is married to Mr. Potter Palmer. She is hosting a
Deleted: ¶
meeting at her house for the capitalist class to discuss the issues that the capitalist and the
working class have. But she is unaware of the true conflict. You could learn more about Mrs.
Potter Palmer by finding out how she responded to this letter from Mother Jones. You could also
find out more about what her husband did and what Mrs. Potter Palmer knew about what her
husband did; such as how he treated the working class.
Comment [MC4]: And did you?
Set II (Booker T. Washington)
1. What did Washington mean by 'Cast down your bucket where you are'?
The friendly vessel was trying to tell the lost crew that they were already at freshwater.
In this way, Washington is trying to say that his fellow African Americans are already where
Deleted: ¶
Deleted: ¶
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt
they needed to be to make a good life for themselves. They should plant their feet where they
are, meet the friendly people around them, and seek their dreams with the resources around their
area. You do not need to desperately look for a better opportunity; opportunities are all around
you, you just need to open your eyes.
2. What did Washington mean by, 'In all things that are purely social we can be as
Deleted: ¶
separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual
progress'? What is the significance of 'separate and mutual' to Washington? What did he think
about the push for equality and progress?
It would seem that Washington feels that the “white” and “black” races have a difficult
time getting along with one another. Although his race is known to not intermingle much
Deleted: ¶
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt
amongst other cultures, they are hard workers and are willing to work with anyone to get the job
done. Washington realized that there are major differences between the cultures of the white
man vs. the black man, but that they both have the same or similar resolve when it comes to
getting work done. They each separate their home lives from their work lives, and congregate
separately at social events, yet they can still work well with each other towards a mutual goal.
He especially stressed that black people should work together, “one as the hand”, towards mutual
progress before they should even start to worry about equality in society. He felt that the push
for education was more important, and that the push for equal rights could wait until they all
ready to pursue that mutual goal later on.
3. In what specific ways would Washington's speech appeal to white audiences? Do you think he
Deleted: ¶
would have made a different speech if his audience were black? How would you support your
conclusions?
Washington is trying to get a white audience to realize that the progression of the “black
Deleted: ¶
people” will ultimately help the entire country. He feels that it is important to educate them and
get them to interact in society so that they can become useful citizens with more intellectual jobs
than merely labor positions. Washington feels that if the colored citizens are not educated and
given the same rights at the “whites” that they will only end up dragging down the entire society.
He feels that it is in the best interest of the country that the “white people” help the “black
people” learn to become businessmen fit members of societies they all live in so they do not have
to stoop to crime to make a living (Miller). 1
Formatted: Double strikethrough
If Washington were to address a black audience he would have told them to embrace segregation
and education. He felt that black people had a lot to prove and that it would be easier for them to
do so if they worked together instead of depending on the white man to help them.
Booker T. Washington felt that segregation was necessary to help black people become
self-sufficient before they would be granted equal rights. The white audience loved that idea,
Deleted: ¶
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt
and he drew attention to himself from social elites such as Theodore Roosevelt and many white
businessmen who helped him fund schools for colored people 2 (Miller).
Formatted: Double strikethrough
4. How did Washington's speech mirror the dilemmas of African Americans in the
Deleted: ¶
Progressive Era?
1
2
Washington was a huge advocator that it was ok for black to be separated from blacks
until they got equal footing on their own. Black citizens from the South were mostly uneducated
Deleted: ¶
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt
and typically only good at labor work. He also felt that blacks didn’t realize that they no longer
need to move to the North to become a part of society, they could fulfill their dreams right where
they lived so long as they worked hard to get an education. Slavery was over and it was time for
blacks to earn an education and to work hard to become active members and business owners in
society. He felt that before black Americans could fight for equality, they should first earn it by
becoming equally intelligent and productive members of society as their white counterparts
(Miller). 3
Formatted: Double strikethrough
Set III (W.E.B. Du Bois)
Deleted: ¶
1. What were the shortcomings of the 'Atlanta Compromise', according to Du Bois? What were the
Deleted: ¶
consequences for black Americans with this compromise?
Booker T. Washington’s “Atlanta Compromise” is considered to be one of the greatest
speeches of its time. From it, much controversy and debate arose. One of the most prominent
Deleted: ¶
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt
responses may be credited to W.E.B. Du Bois, who described in detail what the shortcomings of
the compromise were and how black Americans would suffer from it. Du Bois brought up three
main ways that the compromise failed to help the black population. First of all, the compromise
made the blacks give up political power. This meant that they couldn’t vote or participate in any
democratic decisions. Second, the compromise made them stop insisting on civil rights 4. This
meant that a distinct status of civic inferiority for the Negro 5 would be established. Third,
Washington’s Compromise made it more difficult for blacks to get an education beyond high
school. This created a slow decline of assistance to the black youth that wanted to learn from
places that otherwise would have supported them in that venture. Because of this, the black
community had to create their own education system for further studies after public high school
(Miller). 6
Formatted: Double strikethrough
2. In what ways did Washington's 'gospel of Work and Money' involve a 'triple
Deleted: ¶
¶
¶
¶
3
4
George Mason University. W.E.B. DuBois Critiques Booker T. Washington.
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/40[12-Apr-11%209:50:17%20PM].
5
6
Ibid.
Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.25", Space
After: 10 pt
paradox'?
According to Du Bois, the ‘Gospel of Work and Money’ that Washington created was an
oxymoron and did not have a firm foundation. The three main points that he made were each a
Deleted: ¶
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt
contradiction to themselves. First, while Washington was attempting to promote the black men to
be business owners and successful workers in their field of choice, he failed to recognize that it
was rather hard to do that without having the right to vote, since that would guarantee them a
voice in the political system which controlled them. Second, the Compromise wanted to give the
blacks a feeling of high self-esteem, but that is impossible to have when you are considered a
second-rate citizen and legally of less importance than the white man. Third, Du Bois brought up
the point that if people went along with the Compromise and gave up higher education, there
would be nobody teaching even the elementary schools, because to be a teacher you must have
more than the basic training which everyone gets from public schools.
3. What were Du Bois' alternatives. How did DuBois' proposals differ from Washington's
Deleted: ¶
politically?
Du Bois proposed three points that were directly opposite from what Washington
suggested. Instead of giving up their political power, Du Bois urged blacks to fight for the power
Deleted: ¶
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt
to vote. Instead of giving up their civil rights, he pushed equality. Instead of settling for basic
education, he admonished the youth to get better educated and become more knowledgeable.
Politically, Du Bois was more of a radical. He proposed plans that he believed were necessary to
right the wrongs that were made, regardless of the results they could have that would potentially
put the country in chaos for a short period.
4. Who were Du Bois' audience? To what extent did Du Bois and Washington differ in their
assessments of their white and black audiences?
Du Bois was writing to the people of America that had heard or read Washington’s
“Atlanta Compromise” and were convinced that it was a good idea. He was also writing to those
that stood against what the Compromise would bring about.These two figures had some major
differences in their approaches. Booker T. Washington mainly tried to please both crowds, and
acted as a mediator between the North and the South. It seems that Du Bois didn’t care what was
thought about him, he just wanted to get his point out there so that people would hear his side of
the argument.
Deleted: ¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
Deleted: ¶
Summary: What are your conclusions about the different issues facing people within different
levels of hierarchy according to race and class?
The different issues facing people within different levels of hierarchy according to race
Deleted: ¶
and class has to do with wealth and poverty. The higher the hierarchy a person sustains at, the
more power they own. That power has them viewing others of the lower class through prejudice
eyes; if they even acknowledge their existence.
Whether it’s the difference between the working class and the capitalist class, or black
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt
slavery and the wealthy whites, the two issues occurred around the same time over the same
issue; whether you were wealthy or not. Unfortunately, it’s easier to drop down a level than it is
to move up. The wealthy, at any moment, could slip beneath their class. For financial reasons
like: family business closed, home foreclosed, economy, ect… they would be known as the
“working class” or “living in poverty”. The two different worlds of the rich and poor would
collide.
How are their dilemmas similar and how are they different?
Both dilemmas are similar because the hierarchy see’s themselves above everyone else.
The more “powerful” people don’t understand the perspective of the lower class. And yet the
Deleted: ¶
¶
¶
Deleted: ¶
lower class knows much about the higher class. It only took one person for each dilemma to help
the other realize what was going on on the other side. You cannot just assume you know what
the other side of the story is, you need to get it from someone who has lived it.
An example of the differences between the dilemmas is, “Cast down your bucket”. The
message of this was to bring attention to the white race explaining that, yes, both blacks and
Deleted: ¶
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt
whites are all different and live different lifestyles, but the African American race had the right
to improve their lives without giving them any trouble or cause problems with the law. They
built their railroads, cities, and ran the factories, nursed their children and the sick to health, and
stayed loyal to their parents after they had passed with sorrowed hearts. Booker T. Washington
explained that we are as separate as fingers yet the hand as a whole can get things done and make
things possible. In contrast, Mother Jones stated to Mrs. Potter Palmer that the meeting she held
in her mansion to settle at common ground between the working class and capitalist class would
never happen. She was wasting her time; the classes were far too different. So different in fact,
that Mrs. Palmer hadn’t realized the division between them.
Are there parallels today?
Deleted: ¶
In today’s society, there are still conflicts between the capitalist and the working class.
Deleted: ¶
But the damages that the working class can make on the capitalist class are more clearer now
than they were before. Erik Olin Wright from University of Wisconsin once said “Each is
sufficiently strong to impose severe costs on the other; neither is strong enough to definitively
vanquish the opponent. In such a situation of stalemate, the contending forces may agree to a
“compromise”: to refrain from mutual damage in exchange for concessions on both sides.”7 By
this he means that they both can make a difference on the other and it more often is in a bad way.
But that in the end they have to come to a mutual agreement that causes them both the same
amount of damage. So in a way it may seem as if they are equal but there is still constant conflict
between the working class and the capitalist class.
Add section break here :
7
Erik Olin Wright, Working-Class Power, Capitalist-Class Interests, and Class Compromise, 957.
Deleted: ¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.25", Space
After: 10 pt
Bibliography
Formatted: Font: Not Bold
Formatted: Centered, Line spacing: Multiple 3
li
“Du Bois' The Philadelphia Negro: 100 Years Later.” The Journal of Blacks in Higher
Education (1990): 78.
Moved (insertion) [1]
George Mason University. W.E.B. DuBois Critiques Booker T. Washington.
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/40[12-Apr-11%209:50:17%20PM].
Miller, Neville. "Profile of Booker T. Washington." About.com. Accessed April 16, 2013.
http://video.about.com/afroamhistory/Profile-of-Booker-T--Washington.htm.
"Mother Jones (1837–1930) ." AFLCIO . Web. Accessed 17 Apr. 2013.
http://www.aflcio.org/About/Our-History/Key-People-in-Labor-History/Mother-Jones1837-1930.
Olin Wright, Erik. “Working-Class Power, Capitalist-Class Interests, and Class Compromise.”
ssc.wisc.edu. Accessed April 17, 2013.www.ssc.wisc.edu/~wright/Published%20writing/
Worker-power.pdf
Deleted: ¶
¶
Formatted: Indent: Hanging: 0.5", Line
spacing: single
Moved down [2]: Olin Wright, Erik.
“Working-Class Power, Capitalist-Class Interests,
and Class Compromise.” ssc.wisc.edu. Accessed
April 17,
2013.www.ssc.wisc.edu/~wright/Published%20wr
iting/ Worker-power.pdf¶
Deleted: ¶
Formatted: Indent: Hanging: 0.5", Space
After: 12 pt, Line spacing: single
Deleted: ¶
Deleted:
Moved (insertion) [2]
Deleted: ¶
Formatted: Indent: Hanging: 0.5", Space
After: 12 pt, Line spacing: single
Moved up [1]: “Du Bois' The Philadelphia
Negro: 100 Years Later.” The Journal of Blacks in
Higher Education (1990): 78.¶
¶
George Mason University. W.E.B. DuBois
Critiques Booker T. Washington.
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/40[12-Apr11%209:50:17%20PM].¶
Ben Gusenkov, Mathias Duoos, Grace Manca, India Curtindale.
Deleted: ¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶
¶