Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois were both highly regarded as early advocates for equality for African American civil rights post emancipation and are highly regarded as the founding fathers of the African American progression, although both are noted for having different methodologies on how the goals should be accomplished.
Booker T. Washington was known as the first of black activist. Born on a slave plantation in Franklin County, Tennessee somewhere between 1858 and 1859 (pg.572), and his family was later freed by the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. It was his belief that for African Americans to become successful in progression they would need to “conform to the dominant myth of individualism” (pg.571) During the Atlanta
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“For a man cannot learn the exercise of self-government by ceasing to vote, any more than a boy can learn to swim by keeping out of water.” (pg.601) He wanted African Americans to stay on task and allow the system to work for them while waiting for freedom …show more content…
He attending predominantly white schools and churches and although black, had no of discrimination of his white counterparts. His belief was for man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellow man, and without having the door of opportunity closed roughly in his face. (pg.695) He criticized Washington teachings as “tending to make the whites, North and South, shift the burden of the Negro problem to the Negro’s shoulders and stand aside as critical and rather pessimistic spectators”. (pg.707)
He viewed the reconstruction of the south as a debacle and emphasized the efforts to transform the South into a society free of social and economic exploitation; when in fact the burden belongs to the nation, and the hands of none of us are clean if we bend not our energies to righting these great wrongs. (pg.707)
Has one proven to be more effective than the other? In my opinion they both were very effective! Washington’s road to equality was based on providing African American’s with an education to allow them to become successful citizens. His legacy and philosophies continue on through the Tuskegee University .And