Two men. Two narratives. Two ways to success. Two ideas. One minority. Which ideology is correct? Neither per se. This is because both of these men, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, had ideas to better their own people; therefore, they were both brilliant and helpful men. What it came down to was which idea would better their people in the quickest way and the most successful way possible. Which was the more progressive? Everyone has different ideas in this belief; however, W.E.B. Du Bois was the most impactful and provoked the greatest change. The main progressive idea coming from Du Bois was his leadership role in the formation of the Niagara Movement which later laid the foundation for the National Association of the Advancement …show more content…
of Colored People. Through this ideology, it is clear to see Du Bois’s views on the advancement, race relations, and education of African American people during the turn of the twentieth century. The Niagara Movement was a civil rights activist group that sought out equality for African Americans. One way that this organization sought out equality was their views on the advancement of this race, and since Du Bois was one of the founders, these views align with his as well. The advancement of this race has been a topic of concern since this foundation was created, and it still continues to be a problem that we have yet to solve today. However, the Niagara Movement was the first organization to aim for this type of equality, and they first sought after this by advancing their race. They aspired to advance their race within the “Declaration of Principles” which was collectively written by W.E.B. Du Bois and William Trotter. Within this document, the movement opposes the treatment of African Americans during this time. According to an article entitled “The Niagara Movement”, they did this by “pursu[ing] their activities, distributing pamphlets, lobbying against Jim Crow, and sending a circular protest letter to President Theodore Roosevelt” (par. 6). Here it is clear to see the extensive work this group put into advancing their race, and it is important to note Du Bois’s role within that group. The Niagara movement also sought after the advancement of their people through their relationships with other races. This was a hard time in history for African Americans, especially when considering race relations. It was only about forty years ago that these were the people that were tending to every beck and call of the white people, but now that slavery was illegal, an awkward exchange of power took place. It is a different world, and that pill was hard to swallow for many whites. It was due to this gap that the race relations widened even more, and the prejudice against African Americans increased. Since this gap has formed and widened, making the race relation problem grow, the Niagara Movement had to step up and do their part in stopping racial prejudice. The movement acted upon this problem within their “Declaration of Principles” when they stated: [...]we do not hesitate to complain, and to complain loudly and insistently. To ignore, overlook, or apologize for these wrongs is to prove ourselves unworthy of freedom. Persistent manly agitation is the way to liberty, and toward this goal the Niagara Movement has started and asks the co-operation of all men of all race. (par. 17) It is clear to see here how this movement sought out equality regarding race after their implementation of it within their “Declaration of Principles” and how they did this through the statements above. They wanted peace, but this was a time where that was hard to come by. Even without this movement, hatred towards this race would still be found. So, yes, race relations were rocky during this time; however, the Niagara Movement realized this and did their best to settle the gap. Du Bois points out the need to work together with whites in the “Talented Tenth” when he mentions, “to the day when Negro soldiers made the Emancipation Proclamation possible, black leaders worked shoulder to shoulder with white men in a movement, the success of which would have been impossible without them” (40). Here we can presume the idea of needing to repair relations was implemented within the Niagara Movement’s “Declaration of Principles” after reading the views of Du Bois on race relations which essentially was: build relationships; without both sides working together, the effort is hopeless. Another progressive idea that the Niagara Movement set after was one concerning education. In this post slavery time, it was common for many African Americans to not receive an education, and if they did then it would not be well taught. This was of major concern in the south. The Niagara Movement saw this problem and also implemented it within their “Declaration of Principles” stating that “common school education should be free to all American children and compulsory. High school training should be adequately provided for all, and college training should be the monopoly of no class or race in any section of our common country” (par. 5). The Niagara Movement after educating the African American race as best as possible. Even within the “Talented Tenth”, Du Bois mentions a way to fix the education system which is to appropriately educate our educators. With these types of views it is easy to see the views of the Niagara Movement on education. They believe that education is a right to every person, colored or not. On the other hand, we have Booker T. Washington. Washington agreed with this group in strategy, meaning that he agreed that Africans should have these rights, but he did not believe in these tactics used which were aggressive. While Du Bois was doing all of this work to empower his people, Washington stood as a figurehead and played to his audience (white people), waiting for equality to come but never aggressively seeking it out. He believed that it should have been less vigorous and then the equality would fall in place later. While this isn’t necessarily wrong, it would have taken a lot more time than acting upon the problem, and that was something of concern when it came to the advancement of African Americans: time. They could not wait for equality to come by pleasing their white neighbors, they had to stand up and deal with the issue at hand. If this type of advancement was postponed, there would have been even more losses within this race. After all these years, there are still issues with this race when discussing their advancement; however, Du Bois did his best back then in order to advance the African Americans in the quickest way possible. However, some African Americans took an extreme approach after these principles were declared, and the consequences are seen during the Springfield Race Riots of 1908. While this was not in direct fault of the Niagara Movement, their ideas did spark these hateful repercussions. It is here that Washington trumps the Niagara Movement with his own idea of a laissez-faire attitude. Since he did stand back and wait, he had a more peaceful approach, and this is why he got more support from white citizens than the Niagara Movement. Despite these setbacks on race relations, the Niagara Movement is till more progressive towards the bettering of the African American race than Washington because they acted faster with more intensity, receiving justice at a quicker pace than Washington. If I had a say in this discussion and if my voice would have even mattered shortly after the turn of the twentieth century, I would have a few ideas to share on this topic.
Overall, I think my approach would have been most like W.E.B. Du Bois’s, but with a hint of Washington’s approach. I agree that with dealing with this topic during this time period, one would need to be as aggressive as possible. This would call for petitions, lobbying, protests, and conferences to advance the race as a whole. I also would have made it clear that in order to fight this battle, I would need a lot of support from the whites, and I would make sure that that idea was implemented within my works. Finally, I would have made it seen that the education of all men and women was important and necessary. These are all ideas coming from Du Bois. However, I would have realized that this kind of civil movement takes time and have the patience of Washington. Playing to my audience and making it seem like they had all of the power is another thing I would add as a leader. This is the approach that Washington took; it was a more peaceful approach. Taking these ideas into consideration, I would then confer with a whole group, creating a list of grievances and a separate list of principles. I would do my best to make these ideas as uniform as possible with the other leaders that this concerned before presenting it to the government. This is similar to Du Bois based on the list of principles and the ideas mentioned, but it is more flexible with other leaders and more organized than he tried to be. It is also similar to Washington; however, this tactic would be more aggressive and time efficient. Overall, if these two leaders would have came together around the turn of the twentieth century, I believe they would have came up with a plan similar to the one listed above. After all, collaboration is important when dealing with life changing
movements. Overall, the Niagara Movement under the leadership of W.E.B. Du Bois was more progressive than Booker T. Washington’s ideas. They were more progressive in their ideas based off of which they included in their “Declaration of Principles” regarding the advancement of their race, race relationships with different races, and the education of their race. The found that lobbying and standing up what they believed for would advance their race. The believed that both people of color and non colored people needed to make amends before anything could be accomplished. Finally, the thought that education was important to all people and in order to pursue this, they must start with the educators. While Washington also sided with them in these views, he thought it better to play out the situation and wait until the subject was not as fresh. While this is the more peaceful route, it was too time consuming; a more rigorous approach was necessary. The Niagara Movement created the ideas that have flourished in today’s society, trying to make it as inclusive as possible; however, we still have a ways to go. But it is because of these ideas, it is because of Du Bois’s approach, that we have made it as far as we have.
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.
Throughout the history of the United States, there have been individuals who have sought out to better society and develop solutions for social and economic problems. In all communities, there are clear distinctions between the privileged and poor. Many times these less fortunate individuals fail to rise up in the world because of the few opportunities they are given. Despite this, some individuals become empowered and impassioned by the hardships seen and have a yearning to create the change needed for the betterment of society. Two leading historical examples of such individuals include Booker T. Washington and Jane Addams. Booker T. Washington had established the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, a school for colored people where a heavy emphasis
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois are two incredibly famous civil rights activists in United States history. Although they both sought to uplift blacks socially and economically across the country, they clashed over the best strategy for doing so. Coming from vastly different backgrounds, it’s understandable as to why they disagreed. However, as is evident by our current societal problems, Du Bois was the one who had the correct plan. That doesn’t mean that Washington’s ideas were wrong, but they were a temporary solution to a permanent and systematic problem.
Although W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T Washington were very different, they undoubtedly influenced the Black population of the United States. Du Bois, although supported communism, excellent in a utopian society yet devastating in reality, had his people's interest at heart. Booker T Washington, founder of Tuskegee Institute, did help some Black population's problems, yet he was more interested with the White culture and its ideals.
Like Washington, Dubois agreed that “blacks” needed to become economically independent and find civil equality. However, W.E.B Dubois was offended at racial injustice and inequality. Du Bois understood Washington’s program, but believed this wasn’t the solution Unlike Washington, he demanded that African Americans should immediately have the right to vote, equal rights, and be granted equal educational opportunities. WEB Dubois wanted educational reform in a way that fulfilled requirements for African American students. WEB Du Bois declared African American demands through his “Declaration of the Principles of the Niagara Movement,” in which he demanded social equality.
“It should come as no surprise that Washington’s historical conflict culminated as a struggle between him and DuBois” (Gibson III 66). To say the least, both men were very active in the upbringing of African-Americans, but their differences in displaying out the solution was what brought them apart. Washington wanted the education system to enforce industrial teachings that started at lower economic power, while DuBois had more abstract ideas of equality and voting for African-Americans. Washington was conservative in the matter of African-American inclusion into society, hoping that given enough time and progress, people would learn to accept them, rather than fight for social power like what DuBois stood for. Despite Washington’s program that appealed to White-Americans, he was involved in politics and spoke about the disfranchisement of African-Americans. His idea of easing tensions with the superior gathered him more publicity, as to DuBois’s plan of protesting. As a result, DuBois’s idea became more prominent as it branches into what we know now as the civil rights movement. Historically, Washington and DuBois has made a name for themselves, through their intentions for the good will of African-Americans, and that is something that will always hold true in these two notorious
Du Bois way of helping African Americans, but Booker T. Washington’s way was the Tuskegee Institute. The Tuskegee helped to educate the black people with skills so that in the future the whites would accept them seeing that they work hard. Although many may think this was a great way to get civil rights, Du Bois did not. Du Bois founded the NAACP and used it for the power to have a say. “Through the publication Du Bois reached an increasingly large audience- one hundred thousand by 1919- with powerful messages that argued the need for black development and white social enlightenment” (Du Bois 884). Du Bois even writes about Washington and criticizes him in The Souls of Black Folk. He says “the time is come where one may speak in all sincerity and utter courtesy of the mistakes and shortcomings of Mr. Washington’s career (Du Bois 893). In this statement it proves that Du Bois and Washington did not agree on things, and this is why their writing styles were so different, because their opinions on gaining civil rights were also very
...rights for blacks, and was satisfied with ‘equal’ economic opportunities, in fact, he was opposed to blacks getting involved in politics. Du Bois took a much more radical approach and demanded that blacks be included in the political sphere. He also envisioned blacks receiving higher education so they could compete in a fast-growing economy, instead of being stuck with dead-end jobs such as plumbers, and house maids, that Washington so strongly advocated for. And today, Du Bois is clearly the more celebrated figure of the two. More African-American political leaders, such as Obama, reference him in their speeches, and it is much easier to find a poster or book on W.E.B Du Bois than it is on Booker T. Washington. Du Bois’ vision had a much nobler goal, he was not satisfied with the injustice that was going on, and he did something about it.
Eventually they would earn the respect and love of the white man, and civil and political rights would be accrued as a matter of course. This was a very non-threatening and popular idea with a lot of whites. For two decades Washington established a dominant tone of gradualism and accommodationism among blacks, only to find in the latter half of this period that the leadership was passing to more militant leaders such as W. E. B. DuBois. During the four decades following reconstruction, the position of the Negro in America steadily deteriorated. The hopes and aspirations of the freedmen for full citizenship rights were shattered after the federal government betrayed the Negro and restored white supremacist control to the South.
Women should not have the chance for an academic education. They should be trained to cook, clean, and take care of children. What better way would a woman help society? Would she help her neighbor more by teaching them mathematics they will never use or by helping their neighbor raise children? This is similar to what Booker T. Washington claimed about African Americans. He stated that the African Americans should attend vocational schools rather than receive an academic education so they could better further social change. W.E.B DuBois had a different approach to further social change by stating that some African Americans should go to academic schools, while others had trades, and some were considered fools who cannot learn. I believe that all children have the ability to learn whether they are black, brown, honeysuckle, or blue. Children all learn in different ways and in order to teach all children we must discover what way each child learns best. John and Evelyn Dewey demonstrate learn by doing and say that is the best approach to learning. I believe they are correct in some aspects. I will attempt to explain my philosophy on the best way to teach all children regardless of race or gender.
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
In summation, the different strategies for dealing with the problems of poverty and discrimination faced by Black Americans were to get a good education, advance in economic/industrial skills, and have their voices heard in the white community.
W.E.B Du Bois strategy can be evaluated as ceaseless agitation as stated in The Niagara Movement "If we expect to gain our rights by nerveless acquiescence in wrong, then we expect to do what no other nation ever did. What must we do then? We must complain. Yes, plain, blunt complain, ceaseless agitation, unfailing exposure of dishonesty and wrong- this is the ancient, unerring way to liberty, and we must follow it." For this time period, this strategy is inefficient because he only thought about a small percentage of the Black race. As like Washington, he to wanted them to go to top colleges, get a great education, and in some way he thought that they were going to become the intelligence whole Black nation.
Between 1865 and 1970 leadership; motivating, persuading, encouraging and inspiring the masses to engage with a vision was vital to the progression of the African-American civil rights movement. It is a common notion that individual leaders held dominant roles within the movement and used the power from this to lead the grassroots and make decisions on behalf of organisations. Additionally, it is believed that leaders were the strategists who shaped the methods of the movement; allowing them to win the nation’s allegiance and convince them to make sacrifices for racial justice. However, this traditionalist perspective ignores much of the conditional causes that in fact triggered outstanding leadership accomplishments. More recent historians
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois were very important African American leaders in the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They both felt strongly that African Americans should not be treated unequally in terms of education and civil rights. They had strong beliefs that education was important for the African American community and stressed that educating African Americans would lead them into obtaining government positions, possibly resulting in social change. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois had similar goals to achieve racial equality in the United States, they had strongly opposing approaches in improving the lives of the black population. Washington was a conservative activist who felt that the subordination to white leaders was crucial for African Americans in becoming successful and gaining political power.