The Difference Between Dubois And Booker T. Washington

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Throughout history, ideological dichotomies appear among intellectual thinkers that seek resolutions to dominating conflicts of their time. Plato and Aristotle stage an early spilt in western philosophy: idealism and realism, respectfully. Both thinkers agreed that philosophers should seek understanding in the world as it relates to governance, justice, and knowledge. However, the division emerged as both thinkers arrived to different conclusion as to how society should reach an optimal state. Roughly 2200 years later, W.E.B DuBois and Booker T. Washington divide the consciousness of black America. DuBois and Washington dedicated their lives to pushing black America forward. Their differences lie in the conflicting methods black America should …show more content…

Unlike Washington, DuBois understands the importance of the liberal arts for African-Americans. The profound nature of his theory is developed through his philosophy of assimilation. Assimilationist fight for social equality through various aspects of society, most notably educational and political equality. In order to obtain educational equality, DuBois believes that both blacks and whites should be granted the same standard of education. He argues that for African-Americans to be successful in America, African-American individuals that are capable of utilizing their mind for academia should be granted opportunities to expand their thinking.. Learning was the key to solve every problem the black man faced and since colleges and universities are beacon of learning, DuBois found them to be critical for the progress of blacks. DuBois understands that not everyone can go to a university and acquire philosophical knowledge In contrast, Washington firmly believed that there was no logical reason for African-Americans to attend liberal art universities. Washington accepted the role of African-Americans during the Jim Crow era, therefore he promoted ideas that subjugated African-Americans to more practical occupations. Appealing to white America, Washington was able to successful start institutions that trained African-Americans agricultural and technical

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