The Voice of Change
Throughout the nineteenth century, the African American social and economic life in the United States and parts of western Europe were revolutionized. A period to attain vast racial equality was quickly developed. Du Bois’ various ideas and activism was a key part to sparking the Civil Rights Movement. Du Bois used his journalistic writing to condemn the increased repression of formerly enslaved African Americans in the South in the form of legalized segregation and the rise of lynching. Du Bois believed in the promotion of political action and higher education for African Americans, but not that of industrial education. Du Bois did not view the use of science to be competent to explain racial characteristics. All these
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Washington, a former slave, and his ideals of industrial education. Washington argued that African Americans had to concentrate on educating themselves, learning useful trades, and investing in their own businesses. He believed hard work, economic progress, and merit would prove to whites the value of blacks to the American economy. Washington believed that his vision for black people would eventually at the end lead to equal political and civil rights. According to Washington, racial equality could be developed by hard work. Du Bois’ views contradicted Washington’s ideals because he believed in higher education, but did not agree with Washington’s idea that African Americans had to work for economic equality to be accepted socially. He outright said that he wanted equal rights and that African Americans had to fight and protest to achieve them, even if it seemed radical. Du Bois, along with others, thought that African Americans should be given the right to vote, which was very important for future political and social advancements. Washington and DuBois, both in pursuit of racial equality, had different ideas on how to reach it. Washington believed in economic equality, then political and social equality. While it was important to build economic stability within the African American community, voting rights were necessary to achieve political and social equality, and