Summary Of The Awakening By Booker T. Washington

Black people in America have constantly fought their ways to gain a place in American society with equal civil and economic rights, but due to America’s history – especially in the south— the black community was only seen apt to be slaves and servants not too long ago. After the Civil War, many members of the black community sought out ways to gain civil and economic rights; however, two dominant members within the black community chose diverging paths to travel. While Booker T. Washington chose sacrifice in continuation of hard labor, W.E.B DuBois had a strive to fight for civil rights which would then allow the black person to obtain equality on multiple fields. Booker T. Washington explores his path to equality in his article, The Awakening
Washington, through his plan, tries to create a stubble game of dependence with emerging dominance. After the Civil War, the South was in much need of repair and Washington saw an opportunity to acquiesce the disenfranchisement of black peoples. Washington believes that there is a dependence on the black community for labor from the white population and through this dependence would the black people find a place in economic fields. He acknowledges that many black people may have wanted to learn beyond the scope of labor, but insists that the white population would seek their aid to produce the materials needed for the repair of the south. He insisted that the panacea to his race’s problems could be only found through an evaluation of what the black race needed, which was beyond studying school subjects by stating, “…In the present condition of the negro race in this country there is a need of something more” (1). Washington also claims that through industrial education, a person will learn the mechanics and mathematics of labor, but forgets a power of education that thrives universally. Washington focuses on the primal necessities that the black race needed such as money, clothes, food, and shelter and indicates that there was sacrifice needed to be made in terms of more secondary needs such as academia or privileges that the white population held. Washington seems to cynically try to play the card of necessities turning into dominance within the economic field
Washington, another highly renowned activist, W.E.B. DuBois voices his stance to fight for their place not only in the economic setting, but also the social setting. DuBois acknowledges that what Washington has accomplished -- an academia that serves for the black population to thrive—was beyond attainable nearly ten years prior to its time, but DuBois also resonates with his ongoing reach to further the black economy by critiquing the map Washington laid out. “It leads some of the best of the critics to unfortunate silence and paralysis of effort, and others to burst into speech so passionately and intemperately as to lose listeners,” DuBois writes in his critique to portray how through Washington’s plan a flame has been hushed in progression of the whole black community. Dubois disagrees that one should have to sacrifice equal treatment for an amount of time to obtain a place in society, but rather demand. Through Washington’s remedy lies a “movement where real progress may be negative and actual advance be relative retrogression.” DuBois critiques that though the plan is seemingly to be of benefit, in the long run there is a progress that actually regresses. Despite DuBois’ disagreements, DuBois does agree that an evaluation is needed to access the necessities of the black community; however, DuBois is in favor for all around progression of the black community rather than sacrifice of being