Compare And Contrast Booker T Washington And W. E. B. Du Bois

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After the Emancipation Proclamation was declared by Abraham Lincoln, there were many ideas on how the newly freed slaves should be integrated into the new United States. The two men at the forefront of this issue were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du bois. Both of these men were two of the most respected African American men in the United States and they were also very involved in politics. They fought to get equality for the free slaves because they knew that being free is different from being equal. However, they had different ideas for obtaining this dream. Booker T. Washington wanted to wait and let everything come naturally because he believed that black and white men could get through their differences and see each other as …show more content…

Washington and W.E.B. Du bois fought for the equality of African Americans, they had different beliefs on how this should be obtained.
Booker T. Washington sees the freedom of the slaves in the south as an end to the injustice they have been forced to live through. In his Atlanta Compromise Speech, Washington speaks with great optimism because of the result of the Civil War (Document 6). This optimism was very prevalent in this sentence, "In conclusion, may I repeat that nothing in thirty years has given us more hope and encouragement, and drawn us so near to you of the white race, as this opportunity offered by the Exposition; " (Document 5). Washington believes that soon enough black and whites will be seen as equals and that newly freed black men, women, and children can take new roles as equal citizens in a newly formed society. Booker T. Washington sees the freedom of the slaves as a great new opportunity for the black community and United States.
W.E.B. Du bois on the other hand, believes that the freedom of the slaves is only the beginning of the fight. He believes that Washington is too passive and that the black population 2 needs to fight for freedom because the southern whites look to exercise any opportunity they …show more content…

(Document 5)" He is trying to tell the black community that they are not 3 equal because they do not share the same rights as black people. He wants them to come together and make change but in a peaceful way to show that they are civilized and just as much human as the white folk (Document 5). The use of the Constitution was the most important part of this quote because it confirms the argument that he proposes is valid. Without the words from the
Thomas Jefferson Du bois argument lacks severe support and would not provoke any change rights of the southern blacks. W.E.B. Du bois wants the blacks of the south to fight for equal rights and not just wait for the white men to see them as equals because they never will as long as they do nothing.
The idea of a peaceful fight for equality is something these two men shared. They knew that if blood was shed that the whites would see them freed slaves as animals and that they should not be allowed to have the same rights as them much less be free citizens in the United
States. Du bois said, "By every civilized and peaceful method we must strive for the

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