So far as my teacher has taught me about the progressive era:
The Progressive Era, from approximately 1900 to 1918, was marked by a movement to correct social, economic and political problems in America. However, one area in need of reform that was mostly overlooked by white Progressives was the plight of African Americans. For example, can you imagine not being allowed to attend school with other students, or buy a house in a certain neighborhood, or use the same water fountain as other people, simply because of the color of your skin?
During the Progressive Era, racism affected many aspects of American society. Particularly in the South, Jim Crow (racial segregation laws) were a way of life, thanks to the Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson, the 1896 'separate but equal' ruling, which allowed segregation to flourish.
