The early twentieth century was not a pleasant time for African Americans; they didn’t have many rights and they lost any gain that they made from their huge positive influence in the Civil War. Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois both saw all the issues that African Americans faced, and they both had the same goal: success for blacks in America. Washington’s approach was to accept the social inequality but in return get equal economics as whites. Du Bois wanted a more aggressive approach and wanted both social and economic equality, and he was hostile towards Washington because he didn’t demand social equality. In the time period, African Americans who demanded their social and economic rights sided with Du Bois because he would provide them the leadership to gain rights equal to whites. …show more content…
Washington proposed to only demand economic equality because that would be the most realistic thing for African Americans to receive. The United States was built off segregation; it would be a difficult task to change every Americans’ viewpoints on racism. Document B shows ads of blacks, using extremely offensive terminology and stereotypes, such as exaggerated facial features and overdrawn lips. Portrayed more like monkeys than people, it provided even the youth to start thinking racist thoughts. Washington was a well known speaker, and his Atlanta Compromise Speech was one of his most influential talks. He ends it with, “The opportunity to earn a dollar in a factory just now is worth infinitely more than the opportunity to spend a dollar in an opera house” (Document E). In this speech he voices his opinion that jobs and welfare are more important than social justice because they do not need it to survive. If they can get a steady income, then African Americans have more of a chance in the world. They can move north and have a
This work by Booker T. Washington, “The Atlanta Exposition Address”, or also known as “The Atlanta Compromise”, was a speech given in 1895 at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta that had a lasting impact not only to the crowd listening, but to the nation as a whole. Booker T. Washington was admired and appreciated by many black Americans. Although, everyone in the African American Community admired his overall achievements leading up to his speech in Atlanta, some of his ideas and thoughts became very controversial within the black community and possibly encouraged the Jim Crow era by proposing the ideology of separate but equal. “The Atlanta Exposition Address,” was significant in shaping history because it; sparked a split and debate within the African American community over the ideas Booker T. Washington proposed in the address, and simultaneously affected the nation as a whole with future laws passed off the basis of Washington’s ideology. To understand the context of where Booker T. Washington’s stance is in the address, people must first understand Washington’s background and his audience during the speech.
The early 1900’s was the era of progressivism, during which socioeconomic equity was paramount concern. African American took part in the era with the objective to establish first class citizenship. In this brought upon polarized views on the most effective methods for invoking change. The first well known black leader Booker T. Washington reintroduced the idea of traditional gradualism... Washington came in conflict with Du Bois an opposing leader who viewed change as rapid and continuous.
Both W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington played an important role in helping black people fit into American society. They both had some similar ideas in what they thought would be best, but also different ones. Booker T and W.E.B both believed in education, equality, civil rights, political rights, labor, and where black people should reside. Even though the beliefs are similar to how they thought blacks should go about it is quite different.
1.Compare how Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois were raised. What kind of education did they have? Did these things affect their view of the world and if so, how? Booker T. Washington was born into slavery, yet had an other educational ways where he adapted in diverse stages through his childhood. He encountered various forms of early education during the time spent adolescence.
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.
Sit Down or Stand up? I find it interesting how two people striving to achieve the same goal could have such different ways in which they plan to do so. In this case, they were polar opposites from each other. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. du bois both wanted equality of all races but their methods of how they were going to do that were very different. Booker T. and W.E.B. were both african american men that lived in a time period where african american people were discriminated against.
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois were both highly regarded as early advocates for equality for African American civil rights post emancipation and are highly regarded as the founding fathers of the African American progression, although both are noted for having different methodologies on how the goals should be accomplished. Booker T. Washington was known as the first of black activist. Born on a slave plantation in Franklin County, Tennessee somewhere between 1858 and 1859 (pg.572), and his family was later freed by the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. It was his belief that for African Americans to become successful in progression they would need to “conform to the dominant myth of individualism” (pg.571) During the Atlanta
Lauren Page H251: African-American History, 1877-Present 25 April 2017 Primary Source Analysis Paper #1 The history of African Americans would not be the same without the oppositions between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bios. Both helped create equality in American society in the late 19th to the early 20th centuries and because of this it helped create the modern Civil Rights Movement.
Following his Atlanta Compromise speech his stock and influence was hailed by whites and blacks alike, and was further enhanced through the establishment of the National Negro Business League in 1900. On the strength of his autobiography he came to the notice of President’s Roosevelt and Taft and became the chief black advisor to both. Harlan asserts that Washington secured and nurtured his white following through his conservative policies and his restrained statements. Despite the fact that he faced opposition from black and white liberals both in the Niagara Movement and NAACP he still managed to withstand his critics. Harlan argues that he did this at times through “underhanded means”.
Thesis statement: The two great leaders in the black community debating about the issues that face the Negro race and Du Bois gave a compelling argument by using pathos, logos and ethos to create an essay that will appear to all readers. Outline: This essay will showcase the contradicting philosophies between W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Also, paying close attention to the different types of leadership between the two historic leaders in the black community. Both W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T. Washington contributed to and helped shape the future of African Americans.
Wells and Du Bois felt like the black population could not become equivalent with the white population in their surroundings, but in another way, Washington thought the compromise was okay between the two parties. Washington was denounced by the leaders of the NAACP ( Wells and Du Bois) it was formed in 1909, especially Du Bois, who demanded a harder line on civil rights
Booker T. Washington & W.E.B. DuBois Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois were both well-known black leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (Muhummad, K., 2013). They were both instrumental in the educational development of African Americans and advocates of civil rights. Although they shared a few similar goals when it came to civil rights for African Americans, due to the vast difference in their upbringing, Washington and DuBois’ strategy for blacks gaining those rights were different (Muhummad, K., 2013). Whereas Washington was a bit more passive, DuBois was more outspoken and confrontational. No matter the differences in their approach, the end goal they had in mind was the same.
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.”
In the mid-to-late 1800s the African American community faced opposition and segregation. They were segregated from the whites and treated as second-class citizens. This segregation was caused in part by Jim Crow laws. Jim Crow laws separated races in schools, hospitals, parks, public buildings, and transportation systems. 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 order to demand equal treatment.
Washington believe African Americans deserve equal rights, yet the government continuously declines these rights on the notion that African Americans are an inferior race. Washington argues that it is important for African Americans to have equal rights, but he also believes African Americans need to find a way to be prepared for their newfound privileges. In his Atlanta Compromise speech, Washington states, “It is important and right that all privileges of the law be ours, but it is vastly more important that we be prepared for the exercise of these privileges. ”(Washington 2) In this quote, Booker T. Washington evinces his viewpoint by crediting privileges in the constitution must be presented upon every citizen of the United States, but he advises his fellow African Americans to be wary of their newfound rights.