The Strategies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois: Uncovered
Mikayla Ferchaw
Pd. 4/5
DBQ for Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. Du Bois
The Strategies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois: Uncovered The time period of 1877 to 1915 was a period in history when the people of the Black race were being granted a free status, but equality, on the other hand, was not an option to some higher white officials. During this time period, many leaders started to fight for what they believed in by appealing to the white governing body for social equality. Two of the leaders that came out of that uproar were the well-known Black equality activists of that time, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. Both of these leaders ultimately had the same goal, however, the paths that they took to achieve that goal were significantly different. Booker T. Washington had a “gradualism” stance to deal with the problems of poverty and discrimination facing Black Americans, while W.E.B. Du Bois wants Black equality immediately and does not offer any alternatives. In retrospect, Booker T. Washington’s strategy was more appropriate for the time period than that of W.E.B. Du Bois because Washington’s proposal included the whole race of Blacks along with compromises with the white population while Du Bois’s proposal only included the top ten percent of the Black race, making his philosophy inappropriate for this time period. As a product of slavery, Booker T. Washington favors the “ask nicely” approach and appreciates what he is given since Washington has been through the tough times of being a slave. The fact that is ironic about Washington’s philosophy regarding dealing with the poverty and discrimination faced by the Black community is that he wants to cooperate and appeal to the white race as much as possible while still holding onto his thoughts about how his and his fellow race should go about living. Within the “Atlanta Compromise Address” of 1895, Booker T. Washington remarks that, “all privileges of the law be ours, but it is
Pd. 4/5
DBQ for Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. Du Bois
The Strategies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois: Uncovered The time period of 1877 to 1915 was a period in history when the people of the Black race were being granted a free status, but equality, on the other hand, was not an option to some higher white officials. During this time period, many leaders started to fight for what they believed in by appealing to the white governing body for social equality. Two of the leaders that came out of that uproar were the well-known Black equality activists of that time, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. Both of these leaders ultimately had the same goal, however, the paths that they took to achieve that goal were significantly different. Booker T. Washington had a “gradualism” stance to deal with the problems of poverty and discrimination facing Black Americans, while W.E.B. Du Bois wants Black equality immediately and does not offer any alternatives. In retrospect, Booker T. Washington’s strategy was more appropriate for the time period than that of W.E.B. Du Bois because Washington’s proposal included the whole race of Blacks along with compromises with the white population while Du Bois’s proposal only included the top ten percent of the Black race, making his philosophy inappropriate for this time period. As a product of slavery, Booker T. Washington favors the “ask nicely” approach and appreciates what he is given since Washington has been through the tough times of being a slave. The fact that is ironic about Washington’s philosophy regarding dealing with the poverty and discrimination faced by the Black community is that he wants to cooperate and appeal to the white race as much as possible while still holding onto his thoughts about how his and his fellow race should go about living. Within the “Atlanta Compromise Address” of 1895, Booker T. Washington remarks that, “all privileges of the law be ours, but it is