Great Minds Do Think Alike: But Not in All Cases...
Imagine having to use a different bathroom just because you were a person of color. Imagine not being able to enter a theatre, hotel, restaurante, train car, museum, library, or school just because they were areas that a particular race claimed. This was the reality for African Americans during the Progressive era of the United States. This era was a time of change in the legal status of African Americans, they were freed from slavery and given minimal rights as a citizen of the United States. Despite these developments, discrimination against this race was the same as it had been in the 1800s. African Americans faced habitual racism in public places through segregation and they also were at a disadvantage in access to healthcare, education and housing. During this time period many civil rights activists emerged. All of the activist had the same goal: Equality for African Americans. However, activists had different theories on how to achieve it. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois both wanted equality for the African American race but had rather opposing viewpoints on how to reach it. Washington felt that it best if the African Americans accepted their status in society (for the time being) while Du Bois wanted to take action immediately. Although Booker T. …show more content…
The two both acknowledge that inequality was a problem so they stepped up and did something. Their successes left a living legacy for Americans then and now. As W.E.B. Du Bois once stated, “I believe in Liberty for all men: the space to stretch their arms and their souls, the right to breathe and the right to vote, the freedom to choose their friends, enjoy the sunshine, and ride on the railroads, uncursed by color; thinking, dreaming, working as they will in a kingdom of beauty and
Imagine having to use a different bathroom just because you were a person of color. Imagine not being able to enter a theatre, hotel, restaurante, train car, museum, library, or school just because they were areas that a particular race claimed. This was the reality for African Americans during the Progressive era of the United States. This era was a time of change in the legal status of African Americans, they were freed from slavery and given minimal rights as a citizen of the United States. Despite these developments, discrimination against this race was the same as it had been in the 1800s. African Americans faced habitual racism in public places through segregation and they also were at a disadvantage in access to healthcare, education and housing. During this time period many civil rights activists emerged. All of the activist had the same goal: Equality for African Americans. However, activists had different theories on how to achieve it. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois both wanted equality for the African American race but had rather opposing viewpoints on how to reach it. Washington felt that it best if the African Americans accepted their status in society (for the time being) while Du Bois wanted to take action immediately. Although Booker T. …show more content…
The two both acknowledge that inequality was a problem so they stepped up and did something. Their successes left a living legacy for Americans then and now. As W.E.B. Du Bois once stated, “I believe in Liberty for all men: the space to stretch their arms and their souls, the right to breathe and the right to vote, the freedom to choose their friends, enjoy the sunshine, and ride on the railroads, uncursed by color; thinking, dreaming, working as they will in a kingdom of beauty and