Ever since the establishment of the African American race, the involved individuals have been forced to deal with the strife being brought upon them by the white race. Originally, blacks were being shackled by the confines of slavery but after the abolishment of the institution in 1865 there was a new hurdle to face. For the remainder of the 19th century and into the 20th, African Americans were still being tethered down by the erroneous ideals of whites. Two of the most significant voices that were heard at that time were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. The two men had differing viewpoints on what route needed to be taken to improve the black race. At the time they were originally advocating, Washington’s viewpoint was more beneficial
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In the case of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, the two had very different beginnings. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery to a single mother and had no knowledge of who his father actually was. He later worked to put himself through school at Hampton (The Struggle for Freedom, pg. 289). W.E.B. Du Bois was born free in Massachusetts and knew of his ancestry. He attended school with white peers and was acclimated to his environment until he grew older and dealt with racism. These contrasting upbringings later greatly affected the views that both leaders would …show more content…
B. Du Bois was the biggest critic of Booker T. Washington. He did not agree with Washington’s approach to the fight for black civil rights and chose a more direct stance. He advocated that all African Americans should seek liberal arts educations and seek to become the elite while challenging whites. Du Bois’ stance continued to be the idea that African Americans needed education so that they could be functional in society (The Struggle for Freedom, pg. 329). He believed that a liberal arts education would better enable individuals to think for themselves and more effectively speak about their rights, which would help to defy Social Darwinism and live equivalent to whites. In fact, when Du Bois and his colleagues established the Niagara Movement they did not hesitate in demanding their rights in the Declaration of Principles. This was one of the most influential part of his ideal, W.E.B. Du Bois chose to be very straightforward in voicing what he wanted to
In the case of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, the two had very different beginnings. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery to a single mother and had no knowledge of who his father actually was. He later worked to put himself through school at Hampton (The Struggle for Freedom, pg. 289). W.E.B. Du Bois was born free in Massachusetts and knew of his ancestry. He attended school with white peers and was acclimated to his environment until he grew older and dealt with racism. These contrasting upbringings later greatly affected the views that both leaders would …show more content…
B. Du Bois was the biggest critic of Booker T. Washington. He did not agree with Washington’s approach to the fight for black civil rights and chose a more direct stance. He advocated that all African Americans should seek liberal arts educations and seek to become the elite while challenging whites. Du Bois’ stance continued to be the idea that African Americans needed education so that they could be functional in society (The Struggle for Freedom, pg. 329). He believed that a liberal arts education would better enable individuals to think for themselves and more effectively speak about their rights, which would help to defy Social Darwinism and live equivalent to whites. In fact, when Du Bois and his colleagues established the Niagara Movement they did not hesitate in demanding their rights in the Declaration of Principles. This was one of the most influential part of his ideal, W.E.B. Du Bois chose to be very straightforward in voicing what he wanted to