Contrary to the present peaceful coexistence state of all American citizens socially, economically, and politically, in the past, the whites segregated individuals of the African-American origin. Therefore, because of the white supremacy, the Negros had no say, even in issues that concerned their lives; hence, the nature of suffering this community endured in the hands of the whites.
The African-American cries for freedom from segregation, indiscriminate killings, deprivation of their fundamental rights, and mob Violence hit a snag because the whites considered Negros as subhuman beings. Because of the worsening condition, Negros sought ways of freeing themselves from such extreme suffering, leading to the rising of two influential Negro leaders, namely Booker T and W.E.B Dubois (Gibson Para. 1-3). Although these two leaders shared a common agenda and agreed on the idea of saving the African-Americans from segregation and extreme suffering, there was a difference between booker t washingtons and w.e.b dubois ideological approaches to the problem.
Comparison of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois
According to Booker T Washingtons biography, he was born a slave in 1856 and later became an advocate for Black Progress. He believed that the gradualist economic approach was the only method that could guarantee Negros freedom, an idea that Dubois dismissed.
According to him, regardless of the economic riches and education that Negros obtained under submission to the whites, there is no way whites were to give them freedom, and consequently, his gradualist political policy. The central theme of Duboiss ideology was that African-Americans had to demand and fight for their freedom. There is no way their white oppressors could leave their slaves to leave (Gibson Para. 1-6).
Because of the respect that the whites accorded Booker T having worked with them and showed loyalty to them for a long time, Booker T held the notion that, through foregoing their cries for freedom, social equality, and fundamental liberties, the whites could offer Black Americans some industrial-agricultural training and employment opportunities.
Through the expertise learned from the training and jobs, African-Americans were eventually to gain the respect of whites, and consequently, the eventual granting of their civil liberties. To Booker T Washington, the gaining economic independence and respectability were of greater significance than fighting for civil rights through forceful means, which African-Americans had no guarantee that they could win (Henry 1).
Difference Between Washingtons and Dubois Beliefs
Generally, Booker Ts strategy laid more emphasis on blacks accepting and accommodating the white cruelty and supremacy as this was the only primary method of ensuring a mutual interdependence relationship developed between African-Americans and whites. Although Booker acknowledged that such a connection could not clear the social differences between these two American groups, the association could guarantee mutual economic development of both groups and the joint release of blacks from suffering (Smock 7-19).
Despite similarities between Booker T Washingtons and W.E.B. Dubois sentiments that blacks were suffering and that economic independence was necessary for the rise of the black community, Dubois greatly opposed the submission issue. Because of the little gain, Booker Ts strategy gained African-Americans, Dubois advocated for the formation of social liberties organizations to fight for the Blacks rights.
According to Dubois philosophy, although education was important in liberating the blacks, there was a need for political action and constant agitation, as it was the only way of forcing the whites to surrender some power.
To be politically competent and elevate the social status of the blacks needs, Dubois further emphasized the importance of Blacks studying liberal arts in colleges, instead of only industrial-agricultural studies. Therefore, although Dubois accepted some of Bookers ideas, he believed that Booker Ts ideology never gave a concrete solution to the Race problem (Dawkins 1).
Booker T Washington vs W.E.B. Dubois: Essay Conclusion
In conclusion, if to compare and contrast their accomplishments and impact on society, it is clear that these two prominent African-American leaders had one agenda of helping blacks gain their freedom and civil liberties, their strategies varied. Booker believed in submission to the white supremacy, a case that Dubois opposed with his political strategy.
Works Cited
Dawkins, Sabrina. Deromanticizing Black History W.E.B. Dubois & Booker T., Washington. 2010. Web.
Gibson, Robert. Booker T., Washington, and W.E.B. Dubois: The problem of Negro Leadership. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. 2010. Web.
Henry, Charles. Who won the great debate Booker T., Washington of W.E.B. Dubois? 2010. Web.
Contrary to the present state of the African-American natives; socially, economically, and politically, in the past, individuals mostly of the American white origin, segregated this group hence, oppressing them through oppressive power control mechanisms.
In addition, to ensure this community never succeeded in any of their endeavors, the whites exercised full control of the political, social, and economic systems hence, making natives of the African-American culture to suffer a lot. Although this was the scenario, for a very long time, realization of the African-Americans that there is a lot they could achieve on their own, as far as securing their freedom from such oppressions was concerned led to the rise of many freedom movements.
The birth of these movements and the continual struggle for liberation led to the emerging of very strong political activists, whose main mandate was to ensure black Americans enjoyed the same freedom as other American natives; a war that faced a lot of antagonism, because the whites thwarted such efforts by using all mechanisms they had at their disposal.
Although many leaders emerged as the struggle become serious, two leaders of this community will forever receive recognition in the American History namely: Booker T, Washington and his greatest opposer W.E.B. Dubois (Moore pp.3-13).
It is important to note that, although these two individuals had one thing in common; to free the African-American community from extreme oppression and segregation they had suffered from for a very long time, their approach to the entire liberation concept was very different.
Discussion on Ideas of W.E.B. Dubois and Booker T. Washington
To some extent, critical analysis of their ideological stances clearly show that, this individuals backgrounds was the primary element, which shaped their ideological views on mechanisms that were necessary in the struggle for liberation of the African-American community; commonly called the Negros.
That is, unlike Dubois who was a pure black from the North, Washington, had a southern affiliation, with parents of different ethnicities; a black mother and a white father; a fact which majority of scholars associate to his biased views on the liberation war.
Although Dubois was African, his love for education gave him a chance of studying in Europe hence, his liking of the socialism and communism ideology of living. Washington’s early life history greatly varied from Dubois in that, through his early life was that of slavery and oppression; hence, his believe in the concept of pleasing his oppressors, as a survival and liberation mechanism (Henry p. 1 and Moore pp.61-72).
According to Washington, although education had a role to play as far as the war was concerned, its contributions were too minimal; hence, such knowledge obtained from any educational forum was of more importance in the Job market.
According to him, to ensure that blacks got the liberation they were yearning for, they had to be submissive to their white oppressors, a practice, which according to him could finally make the whites to recognize efforts by the African-Americans; hence, grant them their freedom. To achieve this, there was need for Negros to wholly depend on provisions from whites, something, which was achievable by blacks first acknowledging that they were for real blacks; hence deserved little freedom.
Contrary to this, his great antagonist Dubois held a very different view of the entire war. That is, according to him, the only workable and real mechanism in this war was African-Americans to demand for their rights, as the only primary mechanism of ensuring there was minimization of the oppressive powers held by whites.
In addition, to him the gradualist political orientation was the only mechanism; politically, of speeding the liberation, due the notion held by him that, many social mechanisms failed hence, some force and demand for civil rights was necessary for such like a struggle to be victorious (Gibson p.1).
To Washington, black power was achievable through hard work and not strife that is, freedom was a gradual process that needed hard work and development in sectors, which were main economic contributors for example, agriculture, Education; for skill enhancement, and economics. Through his two-way oriented ideologies; liberation of African-Americans while acknowledging the Whites’ supremacy, Washington become popular in both of these two societies hence, his success politically.
His concepts received a lot of antagonism from Dubois, on grounds that, freedom was not all about accepting “defeat” as a primary mechanism for gradual gain, but rather it involved achievement of civil equality, which encompassed recognition and respect of all individuals’ right (Smock pp.135-145).
Yes, to some extent, Washington’s ideological perspective of achieving freedom was right, but considering the conditions and nature of oppression the African-American community faced, it was hard for the these natives to achieve their freedom.
In addition, to some extent, Washington’s ideologies were biased; hence, by embracing them, there was no way the society could have gained its present freedom, owing to the fact that, this could concrete the white supremacy; hence, lead to more oppression and abuse of the Blacks’ rights (Moore pp. 7-11). This makes Dubois’s orientation the most appropriate on grounds that, it was impossible for this community to achieve its freedom without having to ask for such rights.
During the time of these two great and most respected leaders, the concept of discrimination was prevalent in all sectors, hence considering the disenfranchisement of this minority community it was hard for Washington’s ideas to work in reality. For sure, how can individuals attain success and respect in a scenario where their bosses despise everything such individuals do or endeavor to achieve?
This is because; adoption of Washington’s ideology of submissiveness, could mean accepting any orders from any white native, something that elucidates one primary question; if African-Americans could have submitted to whites orders, how sure could the community be that, these whites could grant them their freedom finally; owing to their importance in helping them strengthen their empires economically?
On the other hand, in any societal scenario, no one can deny that, educations is one of the primary building blocks of any social, economic, and political systems existing in such a society. Although this rhymes with Washington’s idea, it is important to note that, success of his ideologies was almost impossible in the olden American society.
This is the case primarily because; during the times of these prominent leaders, the then existing segregations created prime obstacles to the advancement of the African-Americans in education (Smock pp. 50-73). Considering this, sometimes is very hard to comprehend how Washington’s ideas could have succeeded, owing to the fact that, if even him who had some white origin, faced many obstacles in his schooling, what could have been the case for the African-American minorities?
Sometimes, considering Washington’s ideologies on achievement of freedom, it will not be wrong for any individual to argue that, his ideologies were egocentric and only aimed at personal gains, rather than communal gain.
That is, although he succeeded in his political career, because of the political support he received from both sides, what contributions did his ideologies make to the liberation of this minority group? Considering the current status of these two communities in the American continent, his ideologies could have been fruitless in achieving freedom enjoyed presently.
In addition, considering the antagonism and attacks this community received form White driven groups for example, the Ku Klux Klan and the White league, Dubois’s ideologies were the best in achieving the freedom, which this community had yearned for a very long time.
On the other hand, yes, education had some significance in the liberation war; however, how could it achieve its targets with the much segregation, which were prevalent in the Job market. This made Washington’s ideologies not only impractical and unrealistic, but also the hardest to achieve, in a society, which had many conflicting issues and differences (Moore pp. 92-110).
Economic dependency was another factor that this African-Americans needed for such liberation to come as per Washington however, how could this minorities have achieved this, in a society where black entrepreneurs received extreme victimization? This because; as Dawkins (P.1) argues, the concept of freedom entrepreneurship was a vocabulary to this segregated group primarily because; no white could be pleased to see a Negro succeed.
To whites, succeeding of an African-American meant that, likelihoods of them sinking capitalistic gains were high; hence, the need to minimize their achievements for them to remain whites’ descendants forever. Hence, this made it important for this oppressed community to take Dubois orientation, for it was the only mechanism of ensuring this group received its required civic recognition.
Conclusion
In conclusion, although Washington’s ideologies of achieving freedom were good, they lacked the practicality concept, owing to the fact that likelihoods of such efforts succeeding in the past American society were minimal. In addition, this was the case primarily because; this society received extreme segregation from the whites in all aspects of their lives hence, submitting to the whites, as a mechanism of achieving freedom; through economic gains, could play no role as far as the struggle for liberation was concerned.
Works Cited
Dawkins, Sabrina. Deromanticizing Black History W.E.B. Dubois & Booker T Washington. 2010. Web.
Gibson, Robert. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois: The problem of Negro Leadership. Yale National Initiative. 2010. Web.
Henry, Charles. Who won the great debate Booker T. Washington of W.E.B. Dubois? 2010. Web.
It is in the records that racism has been a major barrier to the coexistence among various people in the world. This may cause alarm unless the issue is handled properly. The minority in various communities have resulted into discrimination and other animosities just because the majorities have voice.
In this context, slave trade that resulted into the migration of black people to America has been the center of controversy as the current black people in America face racial abuse from the whites. The American leadership has tried all the best to avert lethal consequences and the approach by W.E.B. Du Bois, King, and Booker T. Washington has yielded different results (Dubois, 2010; King, 2010).
The major focus for Booker T. Washington was to secure education facilities for the blacks to ensure that they got real life jobs instead of negotiating equality from their white counterparts. In this manner, Booker T. Washington acknowledged and was comfortable as a black person and his only problem was to be assured of assistance from the white.
However, Dubois was in the opposite perception of this idea. Instead, he embarked on gradualist political strategy. In this strategy, Dubois sidelined the capability of the black people to equate them to illiteracy. Therefore, they had to concentrate on books to achieve similar privileges as the whites. In fact, he insisted that blacks had to be book smart to compete fairly in life with the white.
Washington is in the record as a person who contributed to the fight against racism that had greatly affected the United States in the past. He embraced the black man conscious in a positive way to an extent that he believed the blacks had to work for themselves. According to him, equality was not the issue but the empowerment of the blacks.
Therefore, they continuously argued the white to help the blacks through trainings, and life situations. The knowledge acquired from books had to be exercised in the real life instead of being book smart. Effectiveness in job by the blacks was his major focus instead of concentrating in the books.
Surprisingly, Washington was not only interested on blacks but also the white. However, he intelligently talked to both in a cautious way to avoid attacks. For instance, he talked of stereotyped blacks whereas he insisted that blacks did not have to hide under the white man shadow. The blacks had to be creative instead of relying on the white. The approach by Washington was a clear focus on economic equality for the blacks.
On the other hand, Dubois was of different opinion and approach to this issue. He based his argument on the gradualist political strategy, which undermined the intelligence among the blacks. He encouraged the blacks to compete fairly with the white through smart reading because it would make them highly educated and upgrade their IQ.
According to Dubois (2010), equality could only be achieved through education to help the black to outsmart the whites. This might has contributed to the educational advancement among the blacks to compete with the white.
Economic security was not a good assurance to the blacks if there was inequality. He reiterated that the black required both opportunities and equality with the whites.
It is worth noting that Washington understood the intensified differences between the blacks and whites hence there was no need to fight it. He was assured that fighting equality was waste of time and preaching equality was the only way.
This was as well depicted in ‘The Souls of Black Folk’. Dubois said, “…as a complete surrender of the demand for civil and political equality…” (Dubois, 2010, p. 379). His critics were never taken seriously hence he resulted to jail for fighting against racism.
References
Dubois, W.E.B. (2010). The Souls of Black Folk. In K.M. Dolbeare & M. Cummings (Eds.), American Political Thought (pp. 374-385). Washington, D.C.: CQ Press.
King, M.L. (2010). Letter from a Birmingham Jail. In K.M. Dolbeare & M. Cummings (Eds.), American Political Thought (pp. 481-487). Washington, D.C.: CQ Press.
The book Up From Slavery, written by Booker T. Washington, is devoted to the history of the struggle for civil rights. Booker Washington is famous for his less categorical approach toward white Americans. He considered that the rights should be granted to black people gradually and that they should deserve their fellow citizens’ respect through working for the benefit of society. Since childhood, Booker Washington wanted to learn, but he was forced to work to help his family, which is why his stepfather prevented him from attending school (Washington). However, his motivation was so great that he managed to find an opportunity to study. Washington explains his desire to obtain education by the fact that he always wanted to learn to read common books and newspapers. His motivation only increased when he met a colored boy who could read and was not afraid to do it in public, making him popular among the citizens of the town where Washington lived. However, Booker wanted not only to gain knowledge but also to become a respectable member of society.
Washington’s philosophy for growth had been forming since his early childhood when he sought opportunities to attend school. Throughout his life, he stuck to the idea that growth is constituted of three components: patience, hard work, and gradualness (Washington). Examples from his childhood and teenage years clearly illustrate this idea. For instance, when Booker was rejected by a hotel keeper on his way to Hampton because of his race, he did not lose his desire to obtain education and continued his journey (Washington). It complies with the first component of his philosophy, patience, since the boy clearly understood his final goal and calmly overcame difficulties that appeared on his way.
Another example from Booker Washington’s life experience that illustrates his philosophy concerns his entrance exam to Hampton. He writes that he was so badly dressed and looked poorly after his long and exhausting journey that the head teacher at first did not let him pass the exam with other students. However, later she asked him to sweep the floor in the recitation room, and the boy, who had a great experience in sweeping because of his hard work for Mrs. Ruffner back in West Virginia (Washington). He tidied the room so well that the head teacher did not find any dust or dirt there, and his work impressed her so much that she admitted him to enter the Institute. This situation shows that hard work always pays off though its results may be seen in the long-term perspective. Thus, Washington had to do a lot of things when he worked for Mrs. Ruffner, but the skills he got then helped him impress the head teacher and be admitted to Hampton.
The last postulate of Washington’s growth philosophy concerns its gradualness, which may be seen in his life journey as well. After he learned to read in a night school, his ambitions started to grow, which boosted his personal growth. When he heard about Hampton, it became his biggest dream, and he started to work harder and seek opportunities to earn more money to go to Hampton (Washington). All the challenges he went through before his journey to the Institute and during it hardened his character and taught him not to give up. His ambitions grew gradually, from lesser to greater, and his personality grew as well, which enabled him to become a respectable and successful orator in the future.
Work Cited
Washington, Booker T. Up From Slavery. General Press, 2017.
Two prominent writers of the early 1900s are primarily responsible for bringing the study of the African American to the educational institutions of America. These are Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. Both men had to struggle fiercely to achieve the educations they eventually gained, in a world in which it was believed that a black man was not capable of the same depth and breadth of intellectual thought expected of a white man.
While Du Bois was the first black man to achieve a Harvard degree, Washington trained to be a teacher at what is now Hampton University, eventually receiving an honorary Masters degree from Harvard and an honorary Doctorate from Dartmouth College. Both men wrote extensively, and often from very different viewpoints, regarding the position of the black man in the Reconstruction Era, having a profound impact upon how these individuals were perceived by the greater American public and playing large roles in both establishing educational facilities for black children and in organizing advocacy groups for the black people.
As can be seen in his autobiography, Up From Slavery and is followed up later in his book Working with the Hands, Washington felt that the best way to help the black man was to train him in ‘industrial’ type jobs. Writing his autobiography in 1901, Washington details his rise from the ranks of slavery to the position of a degreed professor even as he highlights the various reasons why he feels an industrial education is the correct course of action for the majority of black men and women.
This is brought out clearly in Working with the Hands as he notes that education merely as a means of reading and writing correctly did not seem sufficient for the needs of the black community even when he was a small boy. The goal of education thus emerged as being two-fold, first to provide black people with the knowledge and education prized by whites, and second to give them the means to make their lives and the lives of other black people better through industrial training in fields where they were likely to find easy entrance to paid work environments. “We wanted to teach them to study actual things instead of mere books alone” (Washington, 1996, p. 60).
Du Bois, as can be seen in “Of the Training of Black Men” in The Souls of Black Folk as well as many of his other writings, felt that the black man could best benefit from the same exact type of classical education deemed important for white men, making him fit for the same positions then filled by only white men. “They must first have the common schools to teach them to read, write and cipher; and they must have higher schools to teach teachers for the common schools … If the Negro was to learn, he must teach himself, and the most effective help that could be given him was the establishment of schools to train Negro teachers” (p. 66-67).
Du Bois further argues in The Gift of Black Folk that black people have much to offer to white people in terms of their general outlook on life, their ability to appreciate the deeper beauty of the world and their intensive connections with the rhythms of the earth. The knowledge of the black people that was not taught in the schools was needed to fully round out the knowledge of the white people that was included in a classical education.
Although both Washington and Du Bois felt it was vital that a black man have a decent education and worked diligently to advance the cause, they disagreed rather strongly on the type of education that would be most beneficial to the black community.
While Washington recognized that traditional ‘book’ learning such as was taught in the white colleges turned out students that were at once more likely to want the finer things in life and less able to obtain these things for themselves, Du Bois indicated that the classical education was necessary to turn out students capable of serving in the more professional services such as doctors and lawyers that the black community needed. While each man acknowledged the importance of the ideas of the other, they differed on the degree to which this education should be offered and the best means of offering these options to the black student.
Works Cited
Du Bois, W.E.B. The Gift of Black Folk: Negroes in the Making of America. New York: Washington Square Press, 1924 (reprinted 1970).
Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1999.
Washington, Booker T. Working with the Hands. New York: Doubleday, Page and Company, 1904.
Washington, Booker T. Up From Slavery. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1996.
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois had distinctly different approaches to the accomplishment of their shared goal of African American betterment. This was expressed in their policies, programs, goals, and methods. Their debate persisted until DuBois’ death in the mid-1960s. Washington advocated a gradual approach to achieving equality, while Du Bois urged that immediate pursuit of equal civil rights and education. These differences may have reflected vastly different life experiences, with one born a slave, and the other attending Harvard. Neither leader was completely successful in their goals in their lifetime, but they laid the groundwork for many important initiatives that are still operating today in the ongoing effort to make up for centuries of slavery and unequal treatment. It is not easy to dismiss either approach because both have their basis in a conviction of what is right, and of what can be done.
Washington, born into slavery in 1865, and brought up in the Reconstruction-era South, “knew the heart of the South from birth and training,” including the deep-seated feeling of superiority and animosity that southern whites expressed in every aspect of their behavior (Du Bois). It is possible that he simply could not imagine that generation of Southern whites according to African Americans the full rights that they wanted and deserved, at least, not without a powerful appeal to their self-interest.
This, he believed, would arise from African Americans becoming economically important farmers, artisans, and entrepreneurs. He contended that “No race that has anything to contribute to the markets of the world is long in any degree, ostracized.” (Washington) To accomplish this, he worked to establish a network of schools to train African Americans in the crafts and trades, and to encourage them to establish their businesses. This idea of a parallel middle class being built up apart from whites was partly the inspiration for the separatist impulses of, for example, The Nation of Islam (PBS).
DuBois, on the other hand, a great-grandson of a Colonial fighter, grew up in the Berkshires. As an intellectual’s intellectual, he promoted both the education to the maximum for African American students and criticized Washington for,” unnecessarily narrow” educational goals (Du Bois). As the product of a much more integrated community, and the cradle of the American Revolution, DuBois chafed at the delay in full recognition of civil rights and helped to establish the NAACP (PBS). He decried Booker T. Washington’s recommendation to wait patiently for full acceptance as fellow citizens and encouraged his entire race to work for “1. The right to vote. 2. Civic equality. 3. The education of youth according to ability. “(Du Bois). His influence helped to spark the 1960s Civil Rights movement, and that decade’s legislation that was intended to protect the rights of African Americans.
They both were right. Voting rights permitted African Americans to take political power in many communities. However, it has been the slow growth of an African American middle class that has reassured many otherwise racist Southerners/others that they need not fear African Americans. Both leaders wanted the eventual equality of races, but their perspectives reflected their personal experiences.
Progressivism, chiefly characteristic of the period between the 1890s and WWI, evolved out of a sense that the achievements of laissez-faire capitalism had not improved the quality of life, or increased democratic representation for most of the population (George). Industries had drawn many people away from farming and into factories. Cities had grown as a result and created housing and health problems of their own. The influx of immigrants added to the volume of people who were exploited by industrialists, poor, and likely to remain in deplorable conditions chronicled by writers and photographers such as Jacob Riis (Riis). This population was not protected from harmful commercial practices such as those detailed by Upton Sinclair in The Jungle. (Sinclair) The political system seemed dominated by ‘machines’ for staying in power The Progressive impulse to amend these problems arose from of a tradition of social reform that dated to before the Civil War, including, for example, abolition, suffrage, and temperance.
The corrupt state of local and national democracy was deplored by reformers such as Henry George. Attempts were made at various levels to improve the responsiveness of government to the voters and thereby to offset the situation characterized by Lincoln Steffens as “politics is business” (Steffens). For example, Wisconsin Governor LaFollette promoted the implementation of direct primary elections, voter initiatives, referenda, and recall of elected officials. Additionally, Progressives accomplished the ratification of the 17th amendment in 1913, permitting the direct election of senators (National Archives).
The economic problems of the era, which included the monopolistic power of large corporations, skewing the market for labor and insulating them against consumer complaints, were addressed by at least two efforts. Labor gained organized power through the founding of the inclusive IWW. This gave workers a great deal more leverage in negotiating with employers. Large corporations encountered resistance from the Roosevelt administration in its successful constraint of trade cases against railroad and meat companies. This kept firms small enough to be responsive to labor, consumers, and regulations such as the 1906 Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act.
Social reforms aimed to improve the situation of women, African Americans, immigrants, the poor generally, and children. Reformers such as W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington appealed for voting rights, education, and access to full economic participation (Du Bois) (PBS) (Washington). The founding of schools and colleges for African American students was one achievement. Margaret Sanger attempted to safeguard women’s health (and that of their children) from the well-documented ills of too many pregnancies (Sanger). To do so, she founded Planned Parenthood. She urged, successfully, that contraceptives be available to women through their physicians.
In all these efforts, the Progressives tried to use government power, applied thoughtfully and scientifically, to the problems that they saw around them. Their work is still visible today, for example, in the achievements of the Civil Rights movement, for African Americans and women.
The impetus of the Progressive era encountered both obstacles and further impetus in World War I. Some reform and improvement efforts that had been ongoing for decades finally came to fruition. However, some problems were made more severe as a result of the war.
World War I absented an enormous number of men from home and their usual jobs. Women often filled these positions in ways previously unimaginable. The country watched women nurse the wounded, drive ambulances, and run radio communications at the front. At home, the nation observed women manage manufacture munitions, deliver mail, load ships, handle the administrative work of many businesses and agencies, and run the railways successfully. It seems more than coincidental that after these novelties, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1919. In this way, the war helped Progressive reformers realize their goal for women’s increased civil rights.
African Americans also helped in the fighting in segregated units. They also worked behind the lines. The wartime absence of white men from their usual roles opened up Northern factory opportunities for African Americans. This prompted mass migration from the rural South to the industrial Northern cities. This created economic betterment for some. However, it also created a poor and of ten ‘stuck’ urban populations, in spite of less historic prejudice than in the South. The African Methodist Episcopal Church established targeted settlement houses to help them. W.E.B. DuBois continued to call for better education and greater civil rights for African Americans, given their wartime service and self-sacrifice. This contributed to subsequent Civil Rights activities, including the eventual integration of the armed forces, arguably a potent factor in the eventual acceptance of integration into the wider society.
The influx of European refugees, largely poor and uneducated, added to the burden of urban problems. However, the Progressive impulse led to the revitalization of the immigrant settlement house movement and helped to integrate these people into the nation’s economic life (Harvard University).
On the negative side, this swelling labor force had the potential to reduce the leverage of the native-born labor movement. Unions were put down, sometimes with extreme force. Additionally, many voices of protest, whether pro-labor, or antiwar voices (such as Eugene V. Debs), were largely silenced as un-American, and “Red” (Debs). This unwillingness to countenance anti-war objections can be seen as a precursor to the outrage over anti-Vietnam protests.
Progressive ideas have continued to be played out, even today. The reformist descendants are seen in the Great Society initiatives of the 1960s, in the Civil Rights and women’s movements, in Medicare/Medicaid. Today, they are reflected in Obamacare.
Works Cited
Debs, Eugene V. “Debs and the War.” 2014. Eugene V. Debs Foundation. Web.
Du Bois, W E B. “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others.” 2014. University of Virginia. Web.
George, Henry. “The Problem.” 2014. Sage American History. Web.
Harvard University. “Settlement House Movement.” 2014. Harvard University Library Open Collections Program. Web.
National Archives. “17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913).” 2014. Our Documents. Web.
The issues of race and a variety of aspects of equality in all spheres of life are the most important issues in the history of the United States. Moreover, these issues were and still are so critical that they should be reviewed and acted upon on a national level. Regardless of the fact that nowadays black people are respected more than before, that is still not enough to call a total state of equality present.
The history of the United States shows how hard it has always been to build a nation where all the rights are equal, and numerous responsibilities and social roles are not unfair and prejudicing (Asante & Karenga, 2006). The modern-day improvements in the United States are evident but African Americans are still more likely to live in shortage, a considerably lower percent of them is well-educated, and the number of black people in prisons is six times higher than that of white people, which shows that the gap between the two races is diminishing with every other year, but it still exists.
Roles, rights, and responsibilities of black men and women in society
The roles of the black people in the American society of the 19th and 20th century can be described as minor in comparison to the white population (Foy, 2012). In the impenetrable atmosphere of segregation and constant discrimination, the blacks had only basic rights and lots of responsibilities that did not correspond any reasonable definition of equality or tolerance. The status of the black minority in society was the key issue. One of the indicators of injustice was the attitude towards black women.
There was a time when rape was not considered a serious crime if the victim was a black woman, and the alleged aggressors were white males. Moreover, there is a long history of gender and race labels that depicted black women as volatile and predisposed to crime. For this reason, black women risked being attacked and left defenseless in the courtroom due to the lack of sufficient rights to enable a legitimate resistance to the allegations. A similar situation can be traced with black men, for the reason that courts were unwilling to accuse the offender, regardless of the gravity of the crime committed against the minority. The fact of exemption has practically caused the surefire that authorities would not lift a finger to punish the offenders.
The views on the issue
Booker T. Washington’s standpoint
Washington planned, established, and led the Tuskegee Institute. It turned into a livewire of African-American education and politically aware impact in the United States. Washington claimed that African Americans should essentially focus on educating themselves, gaining knowledge invaluable crafts, and financing their own commerce. Heavy labor, financial progress, and distinction, he alleged, would demonstrate to whites the value of black people to the American budget. Washington supposed that his dream for black people would sooner or later lead to identical party-political and civic rights. In the intervening time, he recommended blacks to set aside their instantaneous demands for voting and concluding racial seclusion.
Washington recognized the certainty of ethnic isolation (Washington, 2012). He asserted, though, that African Americans be counted in the financial development of the South. Known by whites as the orator for his people, Washington soon grew into the most influential black frontrunner in the United States. He had a say in political circles, among the white sponsors that the African-American institutions would get money from. He governed a number of newspapers that confronted anyone who criticized his view of things. Washington was thinking of himself as of a bond between the races.
But other black select few disapproved him for accepting racial segregation at a time of growing anti-black viciousness and discernment. Washington did openly raise his voice counter to the problems of the separation, lynching, and unfairness in voting. He as well covertly partook in complaints concerning elector registration examinations, elimination of blacks from benches, and inadequate railroad amenities. By the time Washington passed away in 1915, separation regulations and racial discernment were decisively established all over the South and in many other areas of the United States. This tenacious racism congested the development of African Americans.
Marcus Garvey’s standpoint
Marcus Garvey is another key black visionary from the first half of the 20th century. He started his Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1914. Garvey supposed that white humanity would on no occasion agree to take black Americans as equals. Consequently, he was for the detached self-progress of African Americans in the United States. The UNIA arranged numerous small businesses that were owned by black people such as cafés and even a doll manufacturing firm that made black toys.
Garvey’s aim was to produce a distinct economy and civilization maintained for and by African Americans (Garvey & Blaisdell, 2012). Eventually, Garvey claimed that all black people from all over the world should come back to their motherland in Africa, which should be free of the white expatriate statute. Nonetheless, Garvey’s UNIA was deficient in the required resources, and an insufficient number of black people in the United States showed any interest in returning to Africa. In an inexplicable twist, Garvey got together with a frontrunner of the KKK in 1922.
Garvey stated that the goal of both organizations was quite similar: totally isolated black and white civilizations. Garvey even admired racial exclusion decrees, saying that they were useful for starting up black commerce. But this particular employment effort was unsuccessful. The rate of disapproval from his supporters quickly escalated. His idea of black autonomy never stuck with the majority of African Americans, and he and his remarkable crusade soon weakened and disappeared.
Conclusion
The ideas of Washington and Garvey both met the failure of creating the future of black people in the American social order where they would have equal rights and freedoms as any other race. Even though their efforts were unsuccessful, their attempts have suggested a new motion vector for the African Americans that were standing for the development of a proper movement for equal rights. As evidence of Washington’s and Garvey’s ideas, new influential individuals appeared to lead the civil rights crusade in the middle of the 20th century.
Martin Luther King Jr. and numerous other people followed an approach of reflexive tolerance to get over the separation and racial discrimination in the South. Martin Luther King’s ideas are reflected in the modern world because of its peaceful approach that favorably differs from the previous ones, although, it has often been criticized by many African Americans for being too passive towards the regime. At the moment, new black trailblazers remain besieged among themselves trying to find the best way for African Americans to make their lives better.
References
Asante, M. K., & Karenga, M. (2006). Handbook of Black Studies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Foy, D. (2012). Civil-Rights Activists. New York, NY: PowerKids Press.
Garvey, M., & Blaisdell, R. (2012). Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey. North Chelmsford, MA: Courier Corporation.
Washington, B. T. (2012). Up From Slavery. North Chelmsford, MA: Courier Corporation.
Need to compare and contrast WEB DuBois and Booker T. Washington? Get inspired by this essay sample! Here, you will find both differences and similarities between DuBois and Washington. See what the two famous leaders agreed on and where their beliefs differed.
Introduction
W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington are well-known for what they have achieved in their lives as leaders. They are recognized as significant leaders of the African American society during the period towards the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. Although they were both leaders concerned with the same community, the African American, they often disagreed on some aspects: for instance, the strategies to be adopted for the sake of allowing prosperity of the African Americans both socially and economically. This piece of work gives critical information regarding differences and similarities between DuBois and Washington.
Similarities between WEB DuBois and Booker T. Washington
Although W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington were distinct leaders governing African American society, they have some similarities in regard to their leadership styles as well as their general life. One similarity is that they both advocated for improvement of the African Americans and engaged in activities aimed at achieving this. They were both educated and had a good understanding of leadership and the different styles that could be applied to get things done. Both Du Bois and Washington died as heroes having accomplished a lot in regard to fighting for equality. Du Bois legacy as an informative writer and a strong racial leader especially being an Afro- American has lived to present. Washington has also been remembered for his realistic movements as he ensured that the African Americans achieved the best without interrupting the status quo. This made him receive a lot of power and authority which in turn enabled him to perpetrate even much things for which he is remembered to today. He appeared in the United States postage stamp as well as the 50 cent coin (Washington 117).
Even though W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T Washington were very different in their leadership philosophies, they both influenced the black people in the United States of America to what they have come to be today through enlightening them on their rights and helping them to achieve them. They both came at a critical moment, after reconstruction, when the status of the African Americans in the southern American society weakened as they lost access to power (social, political and economic). It was the transition of the African American from a state of power to powerlessness that Du Bois and Washington came to their rescue (Du Bois 46).
Difference between Booker T. Washington and WEB DuBois
There are some notable differences that exist between W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington in terms of their leadership undertakings as well as general life. W.E.B. Du Bois believed that civil rights could be attained through revolution movements while Booker T. Washington insisted that civil rights could be achieved through evolution. According to Booker Washington, the African Americans would only achieve success after reaching a certain level of development in various aspects. He therefore advocated for togetherness of the African Americans through carrying out processes aimed at development as well as emphasizing on financial progress and education prosperity. This was meant to empower them with relevant skills and knowledge that would help them to be involved in productive sectors of the economy. They were however required to wait before engaging in political activities. This would make the blacks to evolve from their poor status to a position close to the whites (Washington 5).
Du Bois W.E.B. on the other hand believed that the African Americans were not supposed to wait but rather to engage in all activities that would empower them in any way including politics. He based his argument on the fact that they also had their political rights just like the whites and so they were supposed to participating in governance to ensure that their needs were well incorporated in the state’s decisions making. As opposed to Washington Booker, Du Bois believed that the African Americans had no point of proving to the whites that they were worthy being treated equally but they ought to fight/ demand for what they were meant to receive as stipulated by the constitution of the United States of America. He advocated for confrontation while Washington advocated for use of indirect means (Du Bois 12).
Du Bois, having a black origin, was more vigorous in fighting for the blacks’ prosperity as he really understood what humiliation they went through as a result of being discriminated. Du Bois supported communism but always looked at the interests of his people. Washington on the other hand was very interested with the white culture and ideologies but played his part in helping the blacks move away from their problems.
Conclusion
It is evident that the two leaders are remarkable and both have played a great role in delivering the African Americans from captivity under the hands of the whites. Although there are some similarities between the two leaders, the differences seem to be more due to the approach they took in their leadership efforts. All in all, they were able to achieve their objectives as leaders.
Work cited
Du Bois William Edward Burghardt. The Souls of Black Folk (An African American Heritage Book). Radford, VA: Wilder Publications, 2008.
Washington Taliaferro Booker. Up from Slavery: An Autobiography. Rockville, MD: Wild side Press LLC, 2007.
This is a narrative by Booker Washington about his struggle to get an education. In this narrative, Booker uses a number of literary devices to bring out his message in a clear manner. In this narration, he identifies the challenges he had to face in order to save enough money to travel to Virginia. He uses flashback when he says, “As I now recall the scene of my first year… Many of them were as poor as I was, and, besides having to wrestle with their books…” (Gates and McKay 1394).
There is uniqueness in the narration of Booker about events that took place as he struggled to get an education. Most of the individuals who came across his life are described in a favorable manner. General Lewis Ruffner is presented in the essay as a mean woman who dismissed any employee who failed to meet her expectations. However, Booker portrays her as an understanding person who played a major role in his life towards becoming an educated American. He uses a descriptive narrative to bring out this fact. He says, “Lessons that I learned in the home of Mrs. Ruffner were as valuable to me as any education I have ever gotten” (Gates and McKay 1397).
Miss Mary Mackie, the headmistress of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, was very stern, but Booker says that she became a rock in his college education. He used another descriptive narrative to paint a clear picture of her. He says, “Miss Mary F. Mackie, the headteacher to whom I have referred, proved one of my strongest and most helpful friends” (Gates and McKay 1399). As Gates and McKay observe, during that time, bullying was a common phenomenon, especially in boarding schools (1392). Booker was much younger than his colleagues. It is expected that he would mention the rough experience he had with them before they could accept him as a colleague. However, he gives very little credit to himself, his own effort that enabled him to be enrolled at this college.
One behavior presented in this article that is still common today is social segregation in our modern society. During the era of Booker, segregation was based on race. This is changing as technology creates a global community where the geographical boundary is no longer a factor that hinders movement. However, a new form of segregation is emerging that can be equated to the racial segregation that was common in the past. According to Generals, a new social setting where the haves avoid the has not is becoming very common (215). This behavioral pattern may not be pronounced as it was during the era of Booker.
However, there are places that the poor may not access simply because they social status. Tight security officers man the gates of many clubs in major cities in this country to ensure that the non-members are kept out of the compounds. Schools are emerging that are very expensive. Hence they can only be afforded by the rich. This is another form of segregation (Moore, 540). In the transport sector, this is a little more pronounced, but people have come to embrace it as a normal social setting. We have classes for the rich, the middle class, and the poor in the planes and ships.
Works Cited
Gates, Henry Louis, and Nellie McKay. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton, 2004. Print.
Generals, Donald. Booker T. Washington and Progressive Education: An Experimentalist Approach to Curriculum Development and Reform. The Journal of Negro Education, 69.3 (2000): 215-234.
Moore, Jacqueline. Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, and the Struggle for Racial Uplift. The History Teacher, 37.4 (2004): 539-540.