Washington Vs. Du Bois Analysis

Washington vs. Du Bois: Teammates yet Rivals

Have you ever attended a protest, march, or public speech? Gatherings like these aren’t uncommon and go way back in history. Everyday we hear about activists in a certain part of the world speaking about what they believe in. Activism is not an unfamiliar concept to Americans. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois are considered two of the most influential activists for racial equality movements. These two men were famously known for striving for the equality of the African American race. Although they came from different lifestyles, both men grew up to become successful. Despite their different approaches to targeting the issue of racism in America, they shared the same goal. With the combination of personal experience and beliefs, the men developed opposite strategies to tackle the segregation. While Washington and Du Bois sought for African American equality, they took majorly different approaches, Washington being more passive than the aggressive Du Bois. In 1856, Booker T. Washington was born to a slave in Virginia. He grew up surrounded by the harsh treatment of the slaves and barely received an education. He later became an educator and travelled around to promote the school he ran, Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. He began sharing speeches on racial equality and indirectly fighting for the rights of African Americans. Although many praised him with admiration, W.E.B. Du Bois didn’t agree with his tactics at all. Born in 1868, Du Bois wasn’t exposed to the slavery conditions that Washington was. He attended an all white school, graduated, and went on to college. When he realized the problem of racism that both him and other African Americans were facing, he had to do something. He called for action and resistance against segregation in his speeches and writing. Overall, the two both saw the racism …show more content…
For starters, both of these men were a huge part of an African American equality movement. It was important for both of them to be given the same rights as anyone else. They didn’t want to be treated like they were less human than anyone else. Racism was also something both of them experienced. For example, in his younger years Booker T. longed for an education. One day he saw some kids inside a school working. “He wanted to do what those children were doing, but he was a slave, and it was illegal to teach slaves to read and write” (“Booker T. Washington”, 2017). There were many other instances that made Booker T. feel excluded because of his race. This also happened with Du Bois. When he attended Fisk University in Tennessee, he felt the same pain Booker T. had felt. “It was there that he first encountered Jim Crow laws. For the first time, he began analyzing the deep troubles of American racism” (“W.E.B. Du Bois”, 2017). This led both of them to write their own speeches and books highlighting the lifestyle of African Americans in this era. They were both a part of a large …show more content…
Du Bois and Booker T. Washington both sought after African American rights despite different approaches to the issue. Throughout their lives, they went through many of their own struggles, both similar and different. They both ended up become successful activists, speakers, and even writers. Although many people had their personal preference of the two, one thing was for certain; they both carried a legacy that still remains