During the mid 19th and early 20th century, education was a contested topic among the Black community, which created a massive split between Black scholars. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois are mainly focused on in the debate about what type of education education should be taught to Blacks in order to raise their social mobility, but there is also a variety of different scholars that advocated for different forms of education. Education was contested among Black scholars because the Jim Crow system effected Blacks socially, economically, and politically, which made Black scholars believe that universal education was the solution to raising Black social mobility, but due to the various problems that Blacks faced it formed Black scholars’ …show more content…
belief that different forms of education were needed in order to suffice the different needs of Blacks. Booker T. Washington was a leading advocate for promoting industrial education for Blacks after slavery and formed an industrial school for Blacks in 1881 called the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. Washington witnessed the poverty Black communities faced in the city of Tuskegee whereby “families lived in one room, their eating habits were limited to unhealthy diets, and their farming and sewing machines were non-functional.”, which inspired his ideological belief that an industrial education would raise Blacks social mobility by leading them into industrial jobs where they would be able to make money and lead themselves out of poverty.
Washington argued that an industrial education, “was not to teach them to work the old way, but to show them how to make the forces of nature air, water, steam, electricity, horse-power- assist them in their labour.” This demonstrates that Washington believed that the key of industrial education was to modernize the Black population by teaching them new skills that would allow Blacks to enter industrial jobs where they would be able to earn money and end the widespread poverty they faced. Washington’s theory of an industrial education exhibits that poverty was a problem in Black communities due to Jim Crow laws like …show more content…
the Plessy vs. Ferguson case because it created segregated communities between Blacks and Whites whereby the state of Alabama did not allocate sufficient resources to Black communities to fund their institutions and left their communities with insufficient heating, materials for schooling, and equipment. Black scholars believed that Blacks needed to be universally educated in order to end their problems they faced from the Jim Crow system, but due to the complex issues that Blacks experienced like poverty they believe only an industrial education would suffice their needs. Therefore, it can be seen that as poverty was a major result of Jim Crow policies one of the various ways that Black scholars believed to remedy it was an industrial education as it would allow Blacks access to the workforce and raise their social mobility by ending their poverty. Washington was opposed to a liberal arts education as he believed in the theory of accommodating Whites by working within the restrictions that Jim Crow placed on them rather than antagonising the White race by trying to push social, political, and legislative agendas.
In addition, Washington argued that Blacks that received liberal arts educations tried to live rich lives like elite Whites, but many only received “four dollars a week and wasted their money on buggies to convince people that they were rich, which led them into debt and poverty rather than saving and investing their money.” This demonstrates that Black scholars believed that a liberal arts education was useless as it did not suffice Black poverty because Blacks were unable to obtain a job. Washington’s argument demonstrates that even though industrial and liberal arts educational scholars believed that education was needed for Blacks they believed in separate forms of education because of the different problems Blacks faced from Jim Crow laws. Therefore, in the case of industrial advocates, they saw economic problems like poverty as the main concern in Black communities and believed that the solution was for Blacks to obtain an industrial education as it would provide them with
jobs Roscoe Bruce, who was a Harvard graduate, supported Washington’s idea of an industrial education and was the principle of Armstrong Manual Training High School in Washington, D.C. In Washington, D.C., Bruce saw that Blacks faced high death rates due to their crowded and dirty homes, un-drained streets in Black communities, and their relatively low economic position. Bruce argued that in order to reduce high death rates in Black communities then Blacks must follow an industrial education because it taught Blacks life skills in irrigation, ideas of cleanliness and hygiene, and taught Blacks trade skills, which would improve Black life expectancy and all allow them access to the workforce so they did not fall into poverty. Bruce argued that the extreme poverty that Blacks faced was due to Jim Crow laws that created residential and economic segregation whereby Blacks were made to live in poor neighbourhoods that had inadequate heating and water and Blacks were paid less for their labour. Bruce’s ideology of an industrial education demonstrates that even though Bruce was educated in a liberal arts education at Harvard, he did not advocate for a liberal art education because he saw severe poverty among the Black community in Washington, D.C., which caused scholars like Bruce to think in an economic way and believed that only an industrial education would suffice the problems of poverty. Therefore, due to the extreme poverty that Black communities faced from the Jim Crow system it led Blacks scholars to believe that the only way to suffice Black poverty was for Blacks to follow an industrial education. Bruce also advocated for an industrial education among Blacks because he saw that the Southern U.S. contained a mainly Black population and was also the forefront of agricultural development. Bruce saw that Blacks needed agricultural training because White farmers used efficient agricultural techniques like crop rotation, fertilizer, and new machinery, whereas Black farmers’ efficiency significantly lagged behind. Bruce believed if Blacks were given an industrial education they would be able to modernize their techniques by becoming efficient and enter agricultural jobs, which would improve their economic conditions and raise their social mobility. Bruce was influenced by many of Washington’s ideas about an industrial education as he thought it would end their poverty, but he did not accept Washington’s ideology of accommodation because he believed that Blacks should not accept Jim Crow laws and fight for their political rights and achieve full equal rights to those of Whites. Though Bruce disagreed with Washington’s policy of accommodation the Jim Crow system that created extreme poverty in Black communities made Bruce believe that in order to suffice the poverty that Blacks faced then they would need to follow a industrial education. Therefore, due to the Jim Crow system that created various problems among the Black community it made scholars believe that a universal education was needed for Blacks, but due to the issue of widespread poverty in Black communities it made Black scholars believe that only an industrial education would suffice the need of Blacks by ending their poverty. W.E.B. Du Bois offered an opposing view to industrial education and argued that the key to Black social mobility was through obtaining a liberal arts education. Du Bois argued that “Almost every law and method in ingenuity could devise was employed by the legislatures to reduce the negroes to serfdom and rid them of their political rights”, which formed his ideology that a liberal arts education would advance Blacks social mobility as it would lead to a life of politics and activism where they could challenge the discriminatory Jim Crow laws like the grandfather clause that disenfranchised Blacks. Du Bois’ advocacy for a liberal arts education demonstrates that Jim Crow laws were one of the biggest concerns in Black communities because it barred their right to vote due to laws like the the grandfather clause, which formed scholars’ ideologies that if Blacks pursued a liberal arts education they would develop political skills that would allow them to fight against these discriminatory Jim Crow laws that would give Blacks equal rights. In addition, Du Bois believed that a liberal arts education was important because it trained Black teachers, known as the Talented Tenth, that would uplift the Black population. Du Bois argued that the Talented Tenth became ministers, teachers, physicians, and merchants that would guide and uplift the race as leaders by educating and training them, but also leading the head social movements. Historian, Jacqueline Moore argued that Du Bois’ vision was that Blacks would rise up with the help of the educated Talented Tenth, who would use their training and skills to help others and fight for the rights of their race, which would lead their race out of poverty and ignorance while battling discrimination. Most importantly, Du Bois believed that if these teachers did not receive a higher education in liberal arts, then there would be no teachers to teach Blacks an industrial or a liberal arts education, thus little chance for Blacks to improve. Du Bois’ Talented Tenth theory suggests that without a liberal arts education Blacks would be unable to achieve an industrial or liberal arts education as there would be no teachers to teach them. This suggests that scholars like Du Bois saw the complexities of the Jim Crow system and advocated for a liberal arts education as a way to combat it through academic training while contributing to industrial training by fostering more teachers for their programs. Du Bois advocated for a liberal arts education to change the existing system of Jim Crow and argued that, “Mr. Washington’s programme accepts the disfranchisement of the Negro, the legal creation of a distinct status of civil inferiority for the Negro, and the withdrawal of aid from institutions for the higher training of the Negro.”, which demonstrates that Du Bois thought that an industrial education slowed the process of Blacks achieving social mobility in the U.S by giving up their political rights. Du Bois’ criticism of Washington is significant because it shows that one of the biggest issues in Black communities was the Jim Crow laws as it restricted the rights of Blacks to vote and caused inequality due to segregation as Blacks were not allowed access to similar public services that the Whites enjoyed, which reveals why activists like Du Bois advocated for a different form of education as they believed that an industrial education would not help Blacks challenge the system of Jim Crow laws as it did not teach them political skills that a liberal arts education would.
Alridge, Derrick P. The Educational Thought of W.E.B. Du Bois: An Intellectual History. New York: Teachers College, 2008. Print.
African-Americans in the 1920’s lived in a period of tension. No longer slaves, they were still not looked upon as equals by whites. However, movements such as the Harlem renaissance, as well as several African-American leaders who rose to power during this period, sought to bring the race to new heights. One of these leaders was W.E.B. DuBois, who believed that education was the solution to the race problem. The beliefs of W.E.B. DuBois, as influenced by his background, had a profound effect on his life work, including the organizations he was involved with and the type of people he attracted. His background strongly influenced the way he attacked the "Negro Problem." His influence continues to affect many people.
Washington wanted to ensure the white race that education of colored individuals would not lead to a decrease in domestic services, as this was one of the main fears presented throughout. The beginning of the Institute started with only Washington as the teacher, and thirty students (Washington 58). While the Tuskegee Institute did an excellent job in developing students minds and reading abilities, Washington wanted to also teach his students practical life skills. Understanding that his students came from homes with little opportunities, Washington made it a priority to teach students how to care for their themselves. Students were taught how to bathe, care for their teeth, wash their clothing, and even what to eat and how to eat properly (Washington 61). Along with these basic skills, students were taught in a way so they could both become teachers and return to the plantation districts (Washington 61). Rather than simply studying books, students engaged in labor and physically saw what it meant to pave one’s own way. Washington wanted to implement a set of agricultural skills that would allow students to gain a new set of ideas and energy that could improve the industry. Soon after Washington found a new location to move his growing school, students were in charge of completing all the chores needed to successfully move to the farm. While
... same thing for blacks, first-class citizenship, but their methods for obtaining it differed. Because of the interest in immediate goals contained in Washington’s economic approach, whites did not realize that he anticipated the complete acceptance and integration of Negroes into American life. He believed blacks, starting with so little, would have to begin at the bottom and work up gradually to achieve positions of power and responsibility before they could demand equal citizenship—even if it meant temporarily assuming a position of inferiority. DuBois understood Washington’s program, but believed that it was not the solution to the “race problem.” Blacks should study the liberal arts, and have the same rights as white citizens. Blacks, DuBois believed, should not have to sacrifice their constitutional rights in order to achieve a status that was already guaranteed.
Beginning in the 1890’s Jim Crow laws or also known as the color-line was put into effect in the Southern states. These laws restricted the rights of blacks and segregation from the white population. These laws were put into effect as partially a result of the reaction of the whites to blacks not submitting to segregation of railroads, streetcars, and other public facilities. African Americans Ids B. Wells, Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B Dubois had differing opinions on the color-line. Wells and Dubois felt the color-line created prejudice toward blacks and that the black population could not become equal with the whites under such conditions. On the other hand, Booker T. Washington thought the laws were a good compromise between the parties at the time.
During the late 19th and early 20th century, racial injustice was very prominent and even wildly accepted in the South. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois were two of the most renowned “pioneers in the [search] for African-American equality in America” (Washington, DuBois, and the Black Future). Washington was “born a slave” who highly believed in the concept of “separate but equal,” meaning that “we can be as [distant] as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress” (Washington 1042). DuBois was a victim of many “racial problems before his years as a student” and disagreed with Washington’s point of view, which led
Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. DuBoise. Booker T. Washington believed that blacks should not push to attain equal civil and political rights with whites. That it was best to concentrate on improving their economic skills and the quality of their character. The burden of improvement rests squarely on the shoulders of the black man.
"The federal government and northern reformers of both races assisted this pursuit of education. …Given the eventual failure of Reconstruction, the gains that African-Americans made in their daily lives often proved the most enduring." --pg 460 Nortan
The differences of their philosophies were clearly shown in their writings—Booker T. Washington’s “Up from slavery” and Du Bois’s “The Souls of Black Folk”. Before we analyze the similarities and differences of both of the leaders, we have to look at their early life experiences as it can be an important factor on how and where they get their inspiration for their philosophies. Booker T. Washington was an influential leader during his time and a philosopher that always addressed the philosophy of self-help, racial unity and accommodation. He had preached and urged all the black people to simply accept the discrimination that they got and asked them to work hard to gain material prosperity (Painter 169). In his
W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington were two very influential leaders in the black community during the late 19th century, early 20th century. However, they both had different views on improvement of social and economic standing for blacks. Booker T. Washington, an ex-slave, put into practice his educational ideas at Tuskegee, which opened in 1881. Washington stressed patience, manual training, and hard work. He believed that blacks should go to school, learn skills, and work their way up the ladder. Washington also urged blacks to accept racial discrimination for the time being, and once they worked their way up, they would gain the respect of whites and be fully accepted as citizens. W.E.B. Du Bois on the other hand, wanted a more aggressive strategy. He studied at Fisk University in Tennessee and the University of Berlin before he went on to study at Harvard. He then took a low paying research job at the University of Pennsylvania, using a new discipline of sociology which emphasized factual observation in the field to study the condition of blacks. The first study of the effect of urban life on blacks, it cited a wealth of statistics, all suggesting that crime in the ward stemmed not from inborn degeneracy but from the environment in which blacks lived. Change the environment, and people would change too; education was a good way to go about it. The different strategies offered by W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington in dealing with the problems of poverty and discrimination faced by Black Americans were education, developing economic skills, and insisting on things continually such as the right to vote. ...
During the pre-Civil War America, the enslaved African American’s were not recommended to be taught any form of education such as reading or writing. Many of the white people believed that if the slaves were to learn how to read and write that they would then start to think for themselves and create plans of a rebellion. There was sure to be a rebellion if they were to be taught any form of education. To make sure that the African American slaves did not try to become educated they had harsh punishments for anyone that tried to learn how to read and to write. Education during the pre-African-American Civil Rights Movement was a lot different from how it was during pre-Civil War America. The African American’s had schools that they could attend, but they were separated from the white people. There schools were not located in spots as pleasant as the schools that the white people attended. The African American’s did not have the same quantity and quality supplies as the white schools. Examples of how the African American’s did not receive the same type of tools to help with their education was shown in A Lesson Before Dying. The African American’s had books that had pages missing and that were falling apart, limited amount of chalk, pencils, paper, and other learning utensils while the schools that the white people attended had more than enough supplies and new books
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. African Americans are fortunate to have leaders who have fought for a difference in Black America. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X are two powerful men in particular who brought hope to blacks in the United States. Both preached the same message about Blacks having power and strength in the midst of all the hatred that surrounded them. Even though they shared the same dream of equality for their people, the tactics they implied to make these dreams a reality were very different. The background, environment and philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were largely responsible for the distinctly varying responses to American racism.
Booker T. Washington Booker T. Washington was a great leader. He was all for helping the black community become stronger. His goal was very hard to achieve considering the period in which he lived. America, during Washington's time under reconstruction. The Civil War was over and blacks were, by law, equal to any other human being.
In 1881, I founded and became principal of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. I started this school in an old abandoned church and a shanty. The school's name was later changed to Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University). The school taught specific trades, such as carpentry, farming, and mechanics, and trained teachers. As it expanded, I spent much of his time raising funds. Under Washington's leadership, the institute became famous as a model of industrial education. The Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, established in 1974, includes Washington's home, student-made college buildings, and the George Washington Carver Museum.
Booker T. Washington was the first African American whose likeness appeared on a United States postage stamp. Washington also was thus honored a quarter century after his death. In 1946 he also became the first black with his image on a coin, a 50-cent piece. The Tuskegee Institute, which Washington started at the age of 25, was the where the 10-cent stamps first were available. The educator's monument on its campus shows him lifting a symbolic veil from the head of a freed slave.