During the turn of the 20th century, there was great turmoil within the African American community. There were two mindsets, and each had a leader, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. Washington was born into slavery, and DuBois was the first black man to receive a Ph.D. in the United States. The two never really saw eye to eye when it came to the racial issue in the United States. Washington was in favor of not doing much and waiting for the issue to blow over. He thought that maybe over time, African Americans would gain the respect of White Americans. However, DuBois had quite the opposite approach which was to fight back against the injustice, something that was very risky at those times. Two perfect examples of their rivalries were
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He wanted African Americans to become skilled workers in the United States to contribute to society. One statement from his address that showed this was, "No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem." He was a firm believer that African Americans needed to grow in the working class first and not educate themselves. However, if the African Americans were not highly educated, then, they would have no representation in society and would be looked at as only the working class. This speech made Washington very popular within White Americans because of his passive approach to …show more content…
Washington believed that if they were equal they should be treated as such. DuBois stated about Washington, “He insists on thrift and self-respect, but at the same time counsels a silent submission to civic inferiority such as is bound to sap the manhood of any race in the long run.” DuBois was on the right track, if African Americans wanted to be heard they needed to make some noise. Asking for equality was not far-fetched considering that African Americans were as much humans as White Americans were. Because we live in a different era, it is hard to believe some thought of DuBois a radical back then and his actions were life
He wanted African Americans to become skilled workers in the United States to contribute to society. One statement from his address that showed this was, "No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem." He was a firm believer that African Americans needed to grow in the working class first and not educate themselves. However, if the African Americans were not highly educated, then, they would have no representation in society and would be looked at as only the working class. This speech made Washington very popular within White Americans because of his passive approach to …show more content…
Washington believed that if they were equal they should be treated as such. DuBois stated about Washington, “He insists on thrift and self-respect, but at the same time counsels a silent submission to civic inferiority such as is bound to sap the manhood of any race in the long run.” DuBois was on the right track, if African Americans wanted to be heard they needed to make some noise. Asking for equality was not far-fetched considering that African Americans were as much humans as White Americans were. Because we live in a different era, it is hard to believe some thought of DuBois a radical back then and his actions were life