Essay Of Booker T. Washington And Others By William Edward Burghardt Du Bois

Presently today, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, is known as the momentous African American leader who dominated during the early twentieth century. During this era, Booker Taliaferro Washington, was the prominent leader for African Americans. Both Du Bois and Washington stood behind the fair and equal rights for African American’s. The early twentieth century was hard times for African Americans; the ending of the reconstruction era allowed southern whites to gain full control over local state governments. (Wolters 40). This swift change in leadership of local state government resulted in segregation, primary elections to disfranchise voting rights and manipulated poll tax for southern African Americans (Wolters 40). Washington and Du

Washington’s biggest critic was Du Bois. Du Bois published his first formal attack on Washington with the 1903 publishing of The Souls of Black Folk. Within this book is the Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others argumentative essay. In Du Bois’s argumentative essay “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others”, Du Bois uses Logos, Pathos and Ethos persuasive appeals to make a successful argument against Mr. Washington’s program strategy.

The structure of Du Bois’s essay is in fact unsystematic, because there are many grammatical errors throughout the essay. Buried beneath these grammatical errors is Du Bois’s sound argument against Washington. From the thesis to conclusion of Du Bois’s essay, Du Bois provides statements of reason in

It’s almost as if Du Bois wanted to have a one sided argument with Washington in favor of Du Bois’s strategy. If the audience of Du Bois’s Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others essay, obtained or possessed knowledge of Washington’s program, it will be known that Du Bois solely highlighted the negatives of Washington’s program. Given that Du Bois was the first African American to receive a Ph.D from Harvard, there is solid creditability behind Du Bois supporting details. Du bois’s argument for African American youth being educated is creditable. Du Bois stated, “They advocate, with Mr. Washington, a broad system of Negro common schools supplemented by thorough industrial training…Washington's insight cannot see that no such educational system ever has rested or can rest on any other basis than that of the well-equipped college and university…demand for a few such institutions throughout the South to train the best of the Negro youth as teachers, professional men, and leaders” (Du Bois