African Americans have been on the backend of facing issues that were born from racism which included segregation, the color line, and the strive for freedom from slavery. From the harsh times, there were many prominent individuals who changed the course of history and made it possible for African Americans to live in better circumstances today. Examples of these prominent figures include Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks, but there were a few significant individuals, who changed parts like education that became a catalyst to change their fate. The three of the important figures, which includes Frederick Douglass, along with Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois, have made the image of African Americans as people who deserve rights of liberty and freedom through Washington’s idea improving ones’ self and sacrificing to be better and DuBois’ idea of radicality to fight for social change. I agree with both arguments between Washington and DuBois’s approach, although the perspective of both approaches of social reform for African Americans, were adequate but still missing ingredients in comparison.
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois may both be similar figures but have come from very similar backgrounds which is complimented by the times they were living. Washington was born into slavery right before the emancipation and rose to his high stature through learning the value of hard work and building through his experience that taught him valuable lessons and dignity. This led him to creating the foundation for Tuskegee University and becoming a man recognized as a significant leader. DuBois had a similar upbringing but was born a few years after the Civil War was over and grew in a poor family that managed to get by. DuBois was an intelligent young man and received high honors through education with accomplishments such as graduating from Fisk and Harvard universities and becoming a well-known advocate and author.
Both figures were driven by their values and major accomplishments and positions resulting from the values within a period. During this time African Americans could only dream of reaching areas where they had utmost importance and hold power to make a change in a harsh reality. Washington and DuBois have managed to catapult themselves into the foundation of where they were recognized by the entire country and cemented themselves as leaders of the African American community. Through Washington’s hard work ethnics, he was able to become the light and teach others at Tuskegee University to learn building materials and the value of hard work to help his students build their own foundation. Washington eventually amassed an outstanding respectful reputation through his institution, philanthropy, and being a teacher to others in his community. Soon he became the first African American to eat at the White House, hold a speech in front of Congress to convince them to change the ballot, this led to Washington being heard and set in stone through the community of African Americans (Gates Jr. and Smith).
Like the acclaim that Washington has received through his legacy, W.E.B. DuBois has gained a great reputation and career that cemented him as historical African American leader. DuBois saw the social reform perspective different from Washington and was driven to act against the forces that held African Americans under the strict forces of the color line. Through his disagreement with Washington, DuBois went against him through the “Niagara Movement” which was a movement that purposely raised oppression against racial laws that caused segregation. He was also the director of research and the editor of the “National Association for the Advancement of Colored People” (NAACP), which a group that had the goal to defeat racism and segregation and to help African American to receive their rights. DuBois was also critically acclaimed for his works and thoughts such as his famous book called From the Souls of Black Folks. One of his best-known thoughts was Black Nationalism which was the idea that all African Americans should work together to escape the drastic battle with racism (Rudwick).
The controversy that surrounds Washington and Dubois became known throughout history after Washington’s career and due to the rise of DuBois. DuBois has made several arguments about Washington’s methods towards social change and how he handled making a better life for African Americans. Washington wanted African Americans to accept the problems going on around them, like segregation, and to build themselves up to a new area in life through their hard work and wealth. DuBois saw the perspective differently and that Washington was not freeing his people but instead he was just feeding them into longer execution. The tension only broke the argument into two sides, one of the conservative and the other of the radicals, which were a mass of Washington’s critics (PBS).
The arguments between Washington and DuBois were automatically separated during their time when looking for solutions to ending segregation and racial injustice. When the values, perspectives, and influence of both reformers could have been used in several ways such as creating more balanced programs to help African Americans and finding more ways to expand education. There were many examples of areas they disagreed where implemented together would improve the rate and advancement of African Americans.
One of the major misconceptions between the Washington and DuBois is their views on education. Both had major ideas that allowed the view on the development and future involvement of education for African American to flourish and change the outlook that was perceived by whites. Washington’s view on drawing from his experiences and using them to teach his students at his institution so that they would be able to work alongside whites and show they are just as driven and able to handle manual labor (Gates Jr. and Smith). DuBois desired the need for African Americans to seek a higher ground of education using the concept of the “Talented Tenth”, which that higher education accounts to making leaders. DuBois had taken zero interest in Washington’s concept for education regarding it as way African Americans would end up being classified as “second class citizens” (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). Either educational concept makes since and would eventually become accepted in today’s world. Washington’s concept for using hard work and drawing from experiences is a valuable skill and teaches individual to have passion for learning, value of work, and dignity, which is all needed in the leader DuBois seeks.
Another case in how their concepts create an argument is that the influence of both individuals could create high hope in stopping racial injustice and segregation. Washington weaved his way using his belief that hard work and sacrificing into the world of discrimination to help one’s self would grab the influence of whites and lead to Washington reaching a national stage. DuBois is perhaps a greater mind and voice behind African Americans and many progressive whites when playing in the role of helping to diminish racism (Rudwick). The two could have joined forces and lead the different audiences they have attracted into a mass to be enough to force a new direction for change.
Lastly, both Washington and DuBois had striven for the future development of enhancing the technological advancement. The idea that technological advancements would have improved African Americans chance to survive during segregation and injustice through industrial education or higher education. Washington saw industrial education as the way instead of vocational education and saw the opportunity for prosperity, which offered them growth with occasional setbacks. Technological advancements had eventually bloomed in the 20th century as black trade became more prominent under business in the two decades along with technological geniuses. DuBois saw the rise of leaders through his “Talented Tenth” concept and using higher education to increase African Americans roles. DuBois’s concept would help place African Americans into higher civilization and help them reach higher areas and stand as important figures who could be heard. Both concepts would allow African Americans to reach new areas within the higher and middle classes in order to survive and break through the barriers of racism (Johnson and Watson).
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois had agreeable perspectives on social reform for African Americans but was missing a few important components. The use of their values and concepts to bring together one system, being open to each other’s perspectives, and considering of the possible outcomes through adopting each other’s principals. Their ideas, perspectives, and actions taken were phenomenal but lacked the proper utilization at a time where all African Americans should drive change together.
Works Cited
- Gates Jr., Henry Louis and Valerie A. Smith. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature Third Edition Volume 1. Norton, W.W. & Company, Inc, 2014. Book.
- Johnson, Keith V. and Elwood Watson. ‘The W. E. B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington Debate: Effects upon African American Roles in Engineering and Engineering Technology.’ 2004. ERIC. Document. 28 Februrary 2019.
- PBS. ‘The Debate Between W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington.’ 10 Feburary 1998. PBS. Website. 27 Feburary 2019.
- Rudwick, Elliot. ‘W.E.B DuBois American Sociologist and Social Reformer.’ 19 Februrary 2019. Britannica. Document. 28 Februrary 2019.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. ‘Talented Tenth.’ 2019. Britannica. Document. 28 Februrary 2019.
