How Did Booker T Washington Fight For African American Rights

Signs of Progress Among the Negroes, by Booker T, Washington. The Century Magazine, January 1900. New York City, New York. 11 pages. Reviewed by Jozlyn Clark Booker T. Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author and leader of the African American community.

Booker T. Washington was born a slave and worked as a janitor to get through school. Whereas W.E.B. Du Bois was born in the North and faced very little discrimination, and had an easier time getting into College. They were well educated, and the only difference between them was how they were raised in different environments. Both were on the journey to improve African American’s social and political status in America. However, they had different methods for getting what they wanted.

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

Booker T. Washington’s Movement on Civil Rights How did Booker T. Washington affect the Civil Rights movement? Booker T. Washington, a professor at Tuskegee Institution for African Americans was a major roll playing leader in the Civil Rights movement. He was a vocational educator that believed vocational education would be the way to reach equality. Booker T. Washington efforts to push for Civil Rights were built on the values of education, self-prosperity, and intense preparation of body and mind. One example that shows Washington’s belief to gain equality was through his efforts to reform education for African Americans.

Du Bois’ views contradicted Washington’s ideals because he believed in higher education, but did not agree with Washington’s idea that African Americans had to work for economic equality to be accepted socially. He outright said that he wanted equal rights and that African Americans had to fight and protest to achieve them, even if it seemed radical. Du Bois, along with others, thought that African Americans should be given the right to vote, which was very important for future political and social advancements. Washington and DuBois, both in pursuit of racial equality, had different ideas on how to reach it. Washington believed in economic equality, then political and social equality.

Washington advocated for African Americans to not challenge the existing social order and create separate but equal facilities. DuBois, however, saw segregation as a form of oppression that perpetuated inequality and denied African Americans the opportunity to fully participate in society. Therefore, he argued that African Americans should fight against discrimination and segregation and demand full citizenship rights. By fighting for their rights and being politically active, they would achieve true equality in the nation. He also believed that the key tool for achieving integration and assimilation was through higher education, as African Americans would be educated alongside whites, which will help break down racial

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.

Even though Washington and DuBois agree on many things. Their view on the type of education that should be taught is different. Washington believes that African Americans should be taught to work hard towards improving how they are seen in society "cast it down in agriculture, mechanics, in commerce, in domestic service, and in the professions"(page 2) Where

W.E.B Du Bois and His Impact on Black America W.E.B Dubois was a man who believed and fought for a cause that changed and revolutionized how some people see racism today. Before Du bois started his civil rights activism he was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on February 23, 1868, and in 1884 Du Bois graduated as the valedictorian from his high school class. Soon after he graduated from high school he was accepted into Harvard University in 1888 as a junior and was the first African American to earn a PHD from Harvard University. Shortly after he received a bachelor of arts cum laude in 1890. Later in his life Du Bois began to fight vigorously for lesser status foundations and became an advocate for full and equal rights.

I can see what both are saying but I am going to have to go with DuBois on this one. I believe that every who can have an education should indeed have one. Washington believed in gradual equality for black people, which means he wanted it to come slowly. Dubois wanted it right now and he didn’t want to wait. Washington was one to take it slow and work on getting respect and finance.

Because of this, Washington was less concerned about political rights and more on promoting the policy of accommodation. In other words, Washington felt that equality could be achieved by appealing to the white Southerner. Washington urged Blacks to accept segregation for the time being and focus on proving their equality through financial independence (Painter, 155). On the contrary, W.E.B Du Bois sharply disagreed with the idea of accommodation.

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.”

Booker T. Washington believed that in order to eventually achieve racial equality African

He believed that African American economic gains were not secure unless there was political power to safeguard them. “I think, though, that the opportunity to freely exercise such political rights will not come in any large degree through outside or artificial forcing…" (Washington 234). They both believed in equality. Although one believed in used force and military movements the other used writing to reach his audience. While there were many points of contention between Washington and DuBois, there were similarities in their philosophies as well.

“George could see both sides of the debate, and while he agreed with Booker T. Washington, he did not want to make an enemy of W.E.B. Dubois. George believed that every man had to follow his own conscience, and no one could say that George Washington Carver was not helping white people to accept and respect him as a black scientist. (Benge 143)” This quote could be inferred to mean that George Washington Carver wanted no enemies, not even of white people. This goes to show the type of man that he was and the type of legacy he left behind.