Du Bois and Washington on Woman Suffrage: Part B

Part B: Essay

Directions: Write a well-organized essay that includes an introduction, several paragraphs, and a conclusion. Use evidence from at least five documents in the body of the essay. Support your response with relevant facts, examples, and details. Include additional outside information.

Historical Context:

Between 1890 and 1915 African-American leaders developed two contrasting attitudes toward woman suffrage. Black men and women who supported woman suffrage did so in the hopes that black women's right to vote would contribute to a larger agenda of race improvement. Similarly, black men and women who did not care about woman suffrage usually believed other causes should be given priority in the larger agenda of racial uplift.

Task:

Using information from the documents and your knowledge of United States history, write an essay in which you:

  • Identify and explain reasons why some African Americans participated in the woman suffrage movement.

  • Identify and explain reasons why some African Americans remained distant from the woman suffrage movement.

  • Evaluate both sets of reasons.

Guidelines:

In your essay, be sure to:

  • Address all aspects of the Task by accurately analyzing and interpreting at least five documents.

  • Incorporate information from the documents in the body of the essay.

  • Incorporate relevant outside information.

  • Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details.

  • Use a logical and clear plan of organization.

  • Introduce the theme by establishing a framework that is beyond a simple restatement of the Task or Historical Context and conclude with a summation of the theme.

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