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Richmond Streetcar Boycott, Newspaper Articles, 1904

CONTENT WARNING

Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation. 

Context

The Supreme Court’s 1896 decision in Plessy v Ferguson that “separate but equal” accommodations did not violate the rights of Black citizens paved the way for states across the South to pass formal segregation laws. In 1902, Louisiana passed the first streetcar segregation statute, and many states followed suit. Viginia’s General Assembly passed a law in January 1904 allowing cities to segregate streetcars. This prompted Richmond’s streetcar operator, the Virginia Passenger and Power Company, to implement such a policy, which was described in this Richmond Times-Dispatch article on April 17, 1904. The policy gave the power to conductors to move any passengers at will at any time during a route.

The Black community in Richmond immediately protested this decision. Banker and civil rights activist Maggie L. Walker and editor John Mitchell Jr. encouraged readers to boycott the streetcars in their newspapers, the St. Luke Herald and the Richmond Planet. Mitchell wrote about the boycott in this article published on the front page of the Richmond Planet on April 30, 1904. He noted that almost ninety percent of Black citizens were choosing to walk rather than take the streetcar—and that choice was saving them money and making them healthier. He pointed out that some whites did not understand or challenged the law. Mitchell exhorted his readers to maintain the boycott in just about every issue of the Planet.

The boycott lasted more than a year, which put pressure on a company that had already struggled financially. Despite the success of the boycott—or perhaps because of it—the General Assembly passed a law in 1906 that required segregation in public transportation. This effectively ended the boycott, and segregation in intrastate public transportation continued to be legal until the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

Citation: "Separate the Races," Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 17, 1904, and "'Jim Crow' Street-Car Law Set to Catch Negroes," Richmond Planet, April 30, 1904, Library of Virginia.

See more newspapers from this time period online at Virginia Chronicle.

Read more about the 1904 streetcar boycott in The UncommonWealth blog.

Standards

VS.8, VS.11, USII.5, VUS.10, VUS.12, CE.6

Suggested Questions

Preview Activity:

Look at It: Examine the notice of the new policy as it is printed in the 1904 Richmond Times Dispatch and the article about the policy's effect in the Richmond Planet (read the full articles in the attached pdf or online at the links above). Look at the font size and use of bold lettering. What information do you think is meant to stand out, and why? What language in this announcement could be considered discriminatory or something to cause concern?

Post Activites

Form an Opinion: Adherence to the 1904 "separation of the races" policy bankrupted the streetcar company involved. To what extent do you think this was a just outcome? Be specific in your answer.

Be the Journalist: Imagine you are a reporter covering the story of the streetcar boycott. Who would you interview? Why? What three questions would you ask?