Booker T. Washington's Theory For Racial Equality

Dubois was a critic of his fellow counterpart, Booker T. Washington. Although he respected and praised Washington for his work, he heavy disagreed in the direction that Washington wanted the negro population to head into. Dubois saw problems in Washington’s notions. And spoke of an imaginary veil that was placed on the negro population, and that the white population would always look down to them. Although all negroes were emancipated decades prior, it is this “submissive” act that allowed white politicians to place laws into effect that would keep them away from the voting booth. For the free negro to not protest these Jim Crow laws, is allowing for his freedom to become anything but free. Dubois wrote out in his book that there are three paradoxes to Washington’s theory for racial equality.
Washington wanted African Americans to learn trade and to be educated in industrialism, theorizing respect and equality would come along, someday. This did not sit well with Dubois because although, the negro may be skilled, there was the problem of political blockage from the white politicians. A negro man could not be as good a businessman as a white businessman because they had no fair voting rights. Land owners would not sell to negroes for business purposes and they would defend that right to the bone. No law could keep discrimination