Compare And Contrast Booker T. Washington And W. E. B. Dubois

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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

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