Washington And Dubois's Impact On African Americans

Parallels

The United States considers itself the melting pot of the world because of its acceptance of multiple cultures and races within its borders. However, this classification did not come without severe suffering to the African American race. Once not thought of no more than mere objects, African Americans provided the labor force to build an ungrateful nation. Human Rights violations plagued the New World creating a divide within the nation, moreover, leading to a disastrous Civil War on American soil. African Americans strived for freedom, accumulated progress for basic human rights very slowly at first, however, progressive Americans fought for causes for the greater good of mankind. Oppression traced back to colonial North

Strong influential leaders such as Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois contradicted themselves often on measures taken to progress the black race. The south, despite these well-educated men’s arguments, held the power of segregation. Washington believed the platform of education and resolving racial inequalities without force. Furthering the progress of African Americans through agricultural means would provide them with the means to survive Jim Crow. Du Bois openly criticized Washington for allowing white people to run over African Americans while no real progress appeared. While Douglas, Washington, and Du Bois did not start the modern Civil Rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s, they inspired many men who made significant breakthroughs. A. Philip Randolph organized a movement in Washington, D.C. which sparked an interest in human rights. Randolph demanded discrimination eliminated from different government organizations. While his march was not considered a win for the black race, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC). This program, on paper, directed the investigations of alleged complaints of

He influenced more non-violent protests than any other modern leader had done before. These assemblies did not always remain peaceful, however, the intention for recognition remained. King organized marches in Selma, Al, which in turn, would ultimately lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Another prominent member of the Civil Rights era who deserves distinction is Malcom X. At first, his views of Black Nationalism, along with his strict dialect of Islam through the Nation of Islam discouraged any cohesion between blacks and white. “Revolutions are based on bloodshed.” (505) He believed non-violence means stalled and no longer carried any weigh in the slow progression of human rights. His radicalism created tension between him and his Islamic leaders. Malcom’s pilgrimage to Mecca finally opened his eyes to his cause. He was forced to cut his affiliation with the Nation of Islam, moreover, created his own organization, the Muslim Mosque, Inc. The teaching of hating the white race were irrelevant to the fundamentals shared in Islam. His teaching correlated the struggle in the South to the struggles of European colonialism in Africa. The Nation of Islam silenced Malcom X by assassination in