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Booker t washington and the struggle for an education
Booker T Washington impact on education
Booker t washington the struggle for an education summary
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In the late 1800s into the early 1900s, two of the major leaders in the African American community were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. One of the main ideas that both men often expounded upon was that of education in the African American community. However, both men believed in two separate forms of education to help advance the community, Du Bois supported the idea of liberal education, while Washington supported vocational education (Lewis, 2014, 189). This would prove to cause of rift between the two, and lead to Du Bois heavily criticizing Washington for his ideas. In his criticism of Washington’s support of vocational or industrial education, Du Bois makes the argument that Washington is asking African Americans to give up on the idea of “higher education of Negro youth” (Du Bois, 1903, 39) and that an industrial style of education could not match that of a …show more content…
This criticism would prove to be poignant in the eyes of many, due to the fact numerous people saw Washington as an “Uncle Tom” or that he was too focused on being accommodating to the white population (Lewis 189). To push this idea even further, a number of people, including Du Bois saw Washington’s idea of education as “returning blacks to servitude” (Lewis 194). Instead Du Bois, as said earlier, saw the future of the African American community as being led by a core of men, at the top of the group who would become university-educated (Lewis 198). To push this idea even further, a number of people, including Du Bois saw Washington’s idea of education as “returning blacks to servitude” (Lewis 194). However, unlike Du Bois preferred method of education, which focuses on the making sure the top of African
Both Washington and DuBois wanted the 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.
Du Bois and Washington's approaches towards social change differed greatly. Du Bois stated in The Negro Problem, "The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men...developing the best of this race that they may guide...
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
Education is an ideological mechanism African-Americans used to enhance their social standing in the United States soon after liberation. During the period of W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington, the sort of education explored by African- Americans was the focus of intense discussion. Washington was an enthusiastic supporter of industrial/vocational education while DuBois supported both higher and industrial education, but greatly emphasized on the higher education (Ogbu 23). A lot of people in the Black society accepted DuBois’s stand on higher education remained the better proposal because it was thought to uplift the community. They thought that Washington’s approach was inefficient and left the whole race exposed to violation by White Americans.
Du Bois, was the competing ideology at the time. Du Bois rose to prominence and became a great African-American leader in his own right around the time Washington was at his peak. Du Bois respected Washington but largely disagreed with his vision of black society and progression. Du Bois was a leader in several radical (at the time) organizations such as the Conference of Negro Problems and the Niagara Movement. (Lecture 9/27). With a background steeped in education, Du Bois also has a significantly different up-bringing than Washington. In part, this may explain some of the differences in their ideologies. In his book, The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois addresses Washington and his vision directly. Although Du Bois recognizes Washington’s successes and the caution in which Washington has had to employ in the South, Du Bois is still critical of him. “But aside from this, there is among educated and thoughtful colored men in all parts of the land a feeling of deep regret, sorrow, and apprehension at the wide currency and ascendency which some of Mr. Washington’s theories have gained.” (Du Bois, Souls of Black Folk, pg.36). Washington’s Atlanta Compromise received acclaim but the submissive tone and ideology is what Du Bois is critical of. This quote expresses the emotions felt by not just Du Bois but other educated black men and women throughout the country realizing the errors made in the speech. The acclaim the speech received is also an issue here
He states, “If we make money the object of man-training, we shall develop money-makers but not necessarily men; if we make technical skill the object of education, we may possess artisans but not, in nature, men.” (Du bois 1) This was his problem with the industrial approach. This approach was making black people into workers, laborers, but not necessarily giving blacks full potential to live life fully. “Education must not teach work, it must teach life” (Du Bois) He mentions that blacks have always been intelligent and just were unable to prove it because obstacles such as slavery got in the way. It is wrong to think that blacks were just put on the earth to endorse hard labor. He believes that god has created us all equal, and that blacks should get equal treatment in education too. He argues that Washington fails to stand up for political and civil rights and higher education of blacks. He gives examples of black abolitionist, like Alexander Crummell, and James McCune Smith, these men were college educated men, which made them into the great leaders they are. Black men can become great leaders through attending schools and college universities. “A university is a human invention for the transmission of knowledge and culture from generation to generation, through the training of quick minds and pure hearts, and for this work no other human invention will suffice, not even trade and industrial schools” (Du Bois
Racial discrimination has existed for centuries, but the prejudice in America has specifically been on African Americans. Many people have tried to fight this injustice; some were successful, some were not. Two leaders that rose up against mistreatment of African Americans starting in the early eighteenth century were W.E.B DuBois and Booker T. Washington. Even though they had similar, if not the same, goals, they have very different views on how to reach equality. Booker T. Washington plan required more patience and time, while the followers of W.E.B.DuBois’ philosophy were more demanding and eager to get their civil rights as soon as possible.
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois are the two prominent leaders of the black community in the late 19th and 20th century. They both have the same goal in mind which was to bring social change for the black communities. However, their ideas had numerous differences. Booker T. Washington advocate his philosophy of self-help, racial solidarity and adaptation. He does not want African Americans interfering social and political equality. He wanted blacks to acquire vocational training and take part in the economic development of the New South. Additionally, he wanted blacks to accept discrimination for a short amount of time and concentrate only themselves by working hard and sooner or later they will enjoy the fruit of their labor. Yet,
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.
As he saw it, blacks had been exploited since they were stolen out of Africa, so there was no point in it lasting any longer. This is precisely why his philosophy is still relevant today whereas Washington’s isn’t. In our society, if you aren’t striving for higher education, you’re practically dooming yourself to never really attain any measurable success. Just as Du Bois wanted, there is also an increased effort to have blacks in high positions that transcend black-dominated neighborhoods. However, if there were one critique he would have about the current situation of blacks, it would probably be the lack of immediacy. As a black male, simply walking down the street looking suspicious can get you killed, yet, we haven’t taken an incredibly strong stance against it. Sure, in the age of social media, people post all about these issues, but they don’t actually do anything. Du Bois would urge us as an educated society to act now, as he told the masses when he was alive, and that is exactly why his views prevailed over Washington’s and why he is still relevant
Booker T. Washington's legacy is a troubled one. Dubois was right to say, "When Mr. Washington apologizes for injustice, he does not rightly value the privilege and duty of voting, belittles the emasculating effects of caste distinctions, and opposes the higher training and ambition of our higher minds" (afro 1). But can we really fault Booker T. for being misguided and flat-out wrong? Washington is not the first successful, insufferable man in America who rose from abject poverty to a life of bourgeois comfort, who then assumed that everyone else could too, if only they did as he did. This is not sycophancy. This is a classic case of projection and denial: myopic projection of his own experience, and flagrant denial of the horrors of white supremacy. To accuse Booker T. Washington of complacency is an insult to a good man's efforts in working ceaselessly for the betterment of several million newly freed, unemployed, African American slaves, of which he was one. The post-Civil War problems facing the nation were intractable and myriad. This was uncharted territory. In his defense, Washington founded a college made of mortar and brick which still stands today that has educated celebrated alumni like Eli Whitney, Ralph Ellison, and Damon Wayans. He opened a much-needed dialogue between the black community and the ruling (racist) white class in America. He paved the road for better thinkers, like Dubois, who saw the danger in Booker T's faulty reasoning.
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’
Du Bois was a scholar activist who proposed lots of solutions for the issue of racism and discrimination. Du Bois was sort of an opposition to Washington’s ideology, as he strongly believes that it can only help to disseminate white’s oppression towards blacks. We can see his dissatisfaction based on his writing with a title On Booker T. Washington and Others. He wrote that Washington’s philosophy was really not a good idea because the white extremists from the south will perceived this idea as blacks’ complete surrender for the request of civil rights and political equality. Du Bois had a different view on this issue if compared to Washington because of their different early lifestyles. Unlike Washington, Du Bois was born free in the North and he did not receive any harsh experienced as a slave himself and was also grew up in a predominantly white area. In his writings, it is obvious that he thought that the most important thing that the black should gain was to have the equality with whites. Regarding the issue of the voting rights, Du Bois strongly believed that it is important for black people to agitate to get the right to vote. He also believed that the disfranchisement of poor men could mean the catastrophe of South’s democracy (Painter 157). In his writing with a title Of Our Spiritual Strivings, he wrote that it was significant for blacks to exercise the right to vote because there were whites that wanted to put them back in their inferior position—and it was
Washington 's programme naturally takes an economic cast” (Du Bois). Du Bois believed that Washington’s theory was a gospel of Work and Money that ultimately overshadowed the higher aims of life” Later he makes another statement so powerful that should have made all African Americans want to stand up and fight for a better social status and rights for both the South and North. He goes on stating “The growing spirit of kindliness and reconciliation between the North and South after the frightful differences of a generation ago ought to be a source of deep congratulation to all, and especially to those whose mistreatment caused the war; but if that reconciliation is to be marked by the industrial slavery and civic death of those same black men, with permanent legislation into a position of inferiority, then those black men, if they are really men, are called upon by every consideration of patriotism and loyalty to oppose such a course by all civilized methods, even though such opposition involves disagreement with Mr. Booker T. Washington.” (Du
...ed from the institution through manual labor. Washington successfully makes his point that manual labor and industrial education could lead to the advancement of the black race following slavery.