The different methods Booker Taliaferro Washington and William Edward Burghardt Du Bois used to try and obtain racial equality reminds me of the Aesop's Fable - The Hare and the Tortoise: A hare one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the Tortoise, who replied, laughing: "Though you be swift as the wind, I will beat you in a race." The Hare, believing his assertion to be simply impossible, assented to the proposal; and they agreed that the Fox should choose the course and fix the goal. On the day appointed for the race the two started together. The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on with a slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course. The Hare, lying down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last waking up, and moving as fast as he could, he saw the Tortoise had reached the goal, and was comfortably dozing after his fatigue. Booker T. Washington reminds me of the Tortoise that ended up the winner, and W.E.B. Dubois the Hare.…
These two prominent leaders in the up and rising African American population just could not see eye to eye. Dubois disagreed with Washington on what kind of education African Americans should receive, but on how they should start achieving it; he was much more thorough approach than Washington. Dubois was overbearing when compared to his opposite Washington, because he demanded and advocated for political and social reforms in order to gain equal rights for blacks. He strongly believed that African Americans must want their civil rights because they needed these rights to protect themselves. Washington on the other hand ignored discrimination, he felt African Americans should develop close relationships with whites to become prosperous in the…
On January 1, 1863, the United States’ Negro population was proclaimed “henceforth and forever free” according to President Abraham Lincoln’s establishment of the Emancipation Proclamation. However, years after its release, the Negro population was still mistreated. After the Civil War, white southerners were relentless in establishing themselves as the superior race. The newly implemented Black Codes restricted African Americans' of their new freedom and essentially began a new form of slavery. African Americans experienced violent discrimination and devastating poverty daily. In an attempt to diminish this oppression, two great and well respected leaders of the black community, Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. DuBois, offered contrasting approaches. Both methods contributed to the movement; however, one was more appropriate for the time period. Overall, Washington’s philosophy of self help and acceptance of discrimination was the better fit.…
In post-reconstruction America, many Black writers, ministers, teachers and others eloquently argued on behalf of freedom and justice for Black Americans, advocating various strategies for achieving racial and economic equality. Two such leaders who helped shape the political discourse were Ida B. Wells and Booker T. Washington. Urging politically divergent approaches, they both wanted African American people and men in particular, to be valued and respected by the white south. However, they differed significantly in the means by which they believed such change would come about. Ida B. Wells told the truth in a way that made many whites uncomfortable, addressing lynching and other racially motivated atrocities directly and proposing that African Americans collectively leverage economic power through strikes and boycotts, and individually protect themselves from lynches with weapons. In contrast, Washington was more conciliatory, appealing to whites to give African Americans the opportunity to prove their technical capacity and participate alongside whites as legitimate economic partners. While the “gradualist” gained unprecedented access to formal political power through his white benefactors, I believe Ida B. Wells’ argument that African Americans stop conceding power to whites was more persuasive in advancing racial equality for African Americans in post-reconstruction America.…
“Good ideas are common – what’s uncommon are people who’ll work hard enough to bring them about” (Brilliant). The different approach that William Edward Burghardt Du Bois and Booker Taliaferro Washington had to the issue of slavery in the South is not what makes them recognized today. They are recognized for their outstanding efforts to implement their ideas in the black society and set the precedent for others like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks to follow. Just like Brilliant stated, their “uncommon” attitudes is what indeed makes them “common” and remembered in society today. Ultimately, it is incontestable that Washington’s ideologies on how the newly freed African Americans should end Jim Crow laws were more substantial to them at that…
W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T. Washington were intelligent men that wanted equality for black Americans, however the paths they wanted to take were polar opposites. Washington was against agitating the South, government, and white people as a whole. Washington believed that the South would not find a better workforce or grateful workers than that of former slaves. He called upon on black and white Americans to ‘cast down your bucket where you are (Washington 25). He wanted black Americans to look for employment in places where they were and already experts, such as in agriculture and servitude positions. Washington wanted white Americans to employ black Americans, thereby assisting the transition from slavery to freedom. Du Bois knew that through the struggles of agitation, black voices would be hear and their words would eventually have to be heeded. According to du Bois, with human nature we do not always make the right choices, and wrong choices can create evil. There are two options, ‘either we must let the evil alone and refuse to hear of it or listen to it or we must try and right it’ (Du Bois 31). An agitator’s job is to fight so that the world will acknowledge to the injustices.…
In the early history of the civil rights movement two men, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, offered solutions to the cold discrimination of blacks in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Washington taking the more incremental progressive approach was detested by Du Bois who took the radical approach of immediate and total equality both politically and economically. And although both views were needed for progress Washington's "don't rock the boat" approach seemed to be the most appropriate for the time.…
Booker T. Washington was also unhappy with the way the political system ran. He believed that blacks weren’t treated fairly because the political system went from the top to the bottom and he believed that it should begin at the bottom and then work its way up. He is undoubtedly the most important political figure in the 20th century. He had such a strong level of determination he knew that things could only get better for the Black community. He was sensitive to racial attitudes and had a strong will to not be defeated by white Americans who saw blacks as their enemies.…
During the turn of the century, between the years 1895 and 1915 there were many theories of how African Americans were going to achieve first-class citizenship. At this time first-class citizenship was determined by at least three aspects: political power, civil rights, and the higher education of Negro youth. Two prominent black leaders arose in order to accomplish this feat. They had two different ideas for one goal. These two black leaders during this time were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. Booker T. Washington was considered at this time to be the spokesman of the black race, however, W.E.B. Du Bois proposed a plan that set him right under, if not with, Mr. Washington. While Booker T. Washington believed in industrial and agricultural labor; I adamantly agree with W.E.B. Du Bois 's strategy of the pursuit of intellect through higher education in order to gain first-class citizenship for the African American race.…
During our assigned weekly reading we read several primary sources relating towards how the Black community will advance and on which approach is best to uplift their people. After reviewing these documents, I notice the two opposing views between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois and the advantages/ disadvantages towards resistance and subserviences. In the Atlantic Compromise, Booker T. Washington essentially agreed that Southern blacks would not upset the social order of the South and would accept their position as lower class citizen as long as their basic education and their legal rights were be guaranteed. I do not agree with his speech, however considering who his audience is( elite white Southern men) and that he was looking for…
Throughout history in general African Americans, have faced many challenges that, affected their day to day living. Getting a bit more specific the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century was a very important part of African Americans, as it was during the time slavery was abolished and the beginning of the civil war. From such an era rose many leaders within the African American community. Perfect examples of such leaders would be W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Two African Americans who grew up in different times, with two very separate views on how African Americans should live and what should be fighting for.…
W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T.Washington were both influential men during the Civil Rights movement. Even though they were both extremely influential, they both had contrasting points of views on which actions to take when it comes to racial equality. Booker T. Washington believed social equality would happen over time when the African Americans became economically well built and powerful. W.E.B. DuBois thought that political and social equality was necessary, so he came up with the movements such as the Niagara movement to push for equality. DuBois and Washington were both African American leaders who wanted there to be racial equality among everyone. Washington was the type of man that believed that the African Americans had to work hard and…
Booker T Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois are both remarkable black leaders of the black Americans. What they do with the inequality of blacks is very different. Booker T Washington was born in a black slave family and his way to work is to communicate with the white and make them feel the way they are in an upper level and blacks are beneficial for them with letting them being accepted in their earth. W.E.B. Du Bois attended Fisk University, a top historically black college, obtained his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, and studied in Berlin.( “The 'Old Negro' of Booker T. Washington versus the 'New Negro' of W.E.B. Du Bois.)His idea was to say to the Whites about what they need to be down and they need to accept black people to their society in a polite way, his main idea was to let blacks have the equal rights and equal education with black peoples. Booker T. Washington’s idea was to focus on the jobs for blacks that would get their normal life goes on, he is not trying to get any higher rights from white people. His help for black is letting whites accepting them on the world of white people. Gaining equality and letting black people become well educated was the idea that W.E.B. Du Bois had for the reforming of black people’s identity. W.E.B. Du Bois has the better idea of reforming the identity of black in America society because his idea was more beneficial for the black people because it is more of what black would expect.(Seraile, William. "Washington, Booker T." In Hoogenboom, Ari, and Gary B.)…
Obtaining an education was one of the many goals emancipated slaves were eager to gain as the Reconstruction era came to an end. Most white people in the South considered the education of a black person to be pointless. During the late 19th and early 20th century, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B DuBois came to be known as two of the great leaders in civil rights movement and more importantly in the education of the black community. Although Booker T. Washington and W.E.B DuBois have the common goal of improving the education of African Americans, both of these great leaders have different philosophies in the education of the black community. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B DuBois come from different backgrounds and have apposing views as to what type of education blacks should receive. They also have a different approach to obtain education and different ideologies of how blacks will gain equality. These differences turn them into great rivals.…
In a writing in 1903 W.E.B. Du Bois said that, “easily the most striking thing in the history of the American Negro since 1876 is the ascendancy of Mr. Booker T Washington.”…