He believed that African American economic gains were not secure unless there was political power to safeguard them. “I think, though, that the opportunity to freely exercise such political rights will not come in any large degree through outside or artificial forcing…" (Washington 234). They both believed in equality. Although one believed in used force and military movements the other used writing to reach his audience. While there were many points of contention between Washington and DuBois, there were similarities in their philosophies as well.
E. B. DuBois was a white civil rights leader during the nineteenth century. In 1903, DuBois critiqued Booker T. Washington’s “Atlanta Compromise” in an essay called “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others” within his book, The Souls of Black Folk . DuBois asked for political power, insistence on civil rights, and higher education for African Americans. Booker T. Washington’s speech was looked at by many and to the radicals it looked like a “complete surrender of the demand for civil and political equality”(DuBois) for the entire African American population. Abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and W. E. B. DuBois disagreed with the idea of accommodation and submission.
Both Booker T. Washington’s Up from Slavery: Chapter I: “A Slave Among Slaves” and W.E.B. DuBois’s The Souls of Black Folk: Chapter III: “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others” depict the harsh reality of racism that many freed African-American slaves faced during the Reconstruction Era while each offering their own set of solutions to the struggles faced during that period. Washington, as a former slave during his childhood, portrays the harsh reality of racism by first describing his experience and what he remembers of his days as a slave. He begins his autobiography by using his sense of humor to highlight one struggle that many African-Americans had to face, which is not knowing anything about their ancestries. Washington explains that he is “not quite sure of the exact place or exact date of my birth, but at any rate
In the analysis of the abundance of wonderful leaders who made a difference in the African American community since emancipation, W.E.B Du Bois made a special impact to advance the world. From founding the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, to his influential book The Souls of Black Folk, he always found an accurate yet abstract way of verbalizing the strives of African Americans as well as making platforms for them to be known. Although he had less power than most of the bigger named African American leaders of his time, W.E.B Dubois’ overweighing strengths verses weaknesses, accurate and creative analogies, leadership style, and the successful foundations he stood for demonstrates his ability to be both realistic and accurate in his assessment since emancipation. Though Du Bois did have a beneficial impact
Booker T. Washington v. W.E.B. Du Bois Martin Luther king jr once said “ Segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority”. The Jim Crow laws were just going in effect and no one knew what to make of it. The African American community looked at their leaders for guidance. Two of those leader were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois.
WASHINGTON V. DUBOIS This controversial debate between W.E.B Dubois and Booker T Washington has been talked about discussed and thoroughly reviewed constantly. Booker T Washington was an advocate for equal rights and so was Dubois. They both agreed on the core issues that blacks should become more involved in politics, move up in social status and have better educational systems for blacks. Each had their own views on how this should be achieved.
Both Booker T, Washington and W.E.B Dubois had philosophies and beliefs that changed black culture. Booker T. Washington, an educator, writer and founder of now Tuskegee University had a very interesting belief. According to PBS (n.d), he supported a philosophy of self-improvement, racial solidarity and accommodation. Booker T. Washington took a different approach to racism by saying and encouraging others to accept it for that time and focus on the improvement of themselves and the race by working harder and also by having more things. He also believed in education but for crafting, farming skills and industrial skills.
Du Bois believes that Washington exhibits an old attitude of submission. Whereas Washington sees starting from the bottom as necessary and beneficial Du Bois sees it as submissive and harmful towards the progression of equality. Both Du Bois and Washington believed that their viewpoint was going to lead to more equal treatment and overall improved quality of life for African Americans. Both Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois had ideas on how to improve African American lives, Washington believed in starting at the bottom and working up whereas Du Bois had an opposing viewpoint he saw starting from the bottom as submissive and believed African Americans should hold important jobs in
Booker T. Washington does make a point about taking a job where you are and don’t try to reach so high, but to basically tell the blacks to give up higher education for the negro youth, while another black that came out of slavery has higher education and got an education. That is why W.E.B Dubois voice is more persuasive, because W.E.B Dubois believes in casting down your buckets but at the same time the blacks need to fight for their rights and reach that higher education. Now W.E.B DuBois wasn’t in slavery, but W.E.B DuBois did experience racism, even years later after the “Atlanta Exposition Address”. That is why Booker T. Washington voice becomes more dilute because the things Booker T. Washington said the whites would give the blacks, the blacks had to fight earnestly for. Even W.E.B DuBois said, “Through the pressure of … any black man” (The Souls of Black Folk, 935).
However Booker T. Washington believed in having a more skillful education, consisting of learning how to trade, mastering agriculture skills and more things one would need to get a job. However, W.E.B DuBois also put many efforts to achieve equal rights towards African Americans which Booker T Washington put on hold. Booker T Washington’s plan was to make it so that “Blacks would [have to] accept segregation and discrimination but their eventual acquisition of wealth and culture would gradually win for them the respect and acceptance of whites”. This vision that Booker T Washington had “practically accepts the alleged inferiority of the Negro race”. W.E.B commented on this process saying it was an attempt, “to educate black boys and girls simply as servants and underlings.”
Booker T. washington was a black activist and educator who blacks to gain there equality through using their education and economic strength. Booker T. washington not only went out and raised money for blacks but also whites. Washington felt that we as blacks should not focus on the description going on be on how we can advance ourselves through hard work,time,and dedication. Washington believed in education in the industrial,crafting and farming skills. He felt that would would soon get are respects from whites if we did that instead of falling from all the discrimination against us.
The Crisis focuses on both proving yourself and demanding rights; The various advertisements found throughout the article, show that they offer opportunities for blacks to become successful. During this time, Washington and DuBois were two figures who were promoting black excellence in their own ideas. Washington believed that African Americans should create a separate society where they are not dependents on whites; they would create their own economy, towns and even learn in a vocational school but most importantly, Washington didn’t believe that fighting for citizenship was necessary, that It would come on its own. His ideas were popular among whites from both north and south because Washington emphasized on how whites could work together, but be separate. DuBois on the other hand, believed that
The problem of black leadership between 1895 and 1915 was raised by the celebrated debate between Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. DuBois. For two decades Washington established a dominant tone of gradualism and among blacks, while W.E.B. Dubois introduced a different approach. Both Washington and DuBois wanted the same thing for blacks, first-class citizenship, but their approaches for obtaining it differed. Washington focused more on the method of advising blacks to start at the bottom, obtain an education, and work their way up to citizenship. DuBois, on the other hand, believed that political action and academic education would be the means to achieve full citizenship rights for black Americans.
In an era where African Americans were caught in the middle of an awkward transition between slavery and unrestricted freedom, few voices could rise above the noise to lead Blacks to a better future. Booker T. Washington, a former slave himself, found that voice. Approaching contemporary issues through a realistic lens, Washington saw Black empowerment in the world of industry rather than in the world of politics. He saw solutions in brotherhood among diverse cultures, a necessity for a nation torn apart by extreme polarization, and understood the importance of training the first generations of free blacks for the workforce. In this sense, Washington established himself as a true visionary.
Booker T. Washington founded the Tuskegee institute which is still a predominate and successful black university today. He believed that the route to equality came from hard work and the education of the black race. While he did urge freed slaves to educate themselves, he did accept the civil liberties that were being taken away from them. W.E.B. Du Bois on the other hand, believed this was unacceptable. He also belittled Washington’s school for not acting quickly enough to educate African Americans but, also said they were not learning anything that would be considered higher learning.
