W.E.B. & Booker T

W.E.B. & Booker T.

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W.E.B. & Booker T.Two great leaders of the black community in the late 19th and 20th century were W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington.


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W.E.B. & Booker T.

Quiz on W.E.B. & Booker T.

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W.E.B. & Booker T.However, they sharply disagreed on strategies for black social and economic progress.


W.E.B. & Booker T.Their opposing philosophies can be found in much of today's discussions over how to end class and racial injustice, & what is the role of black leadership?


W.E.B. & Booker T.Booker T. Washington, educator, reformer and the most influentual black leader of his time (1856-1915) preached a philosophy of self-help, racial solidarity & accommodation.


W.E.B. & Booker T.He urged blacks to accept discrimination for the time being and concentrate on elevating themselves through hard work and material prosperity.


social integration versus economic (self)-sufficiency.

The great educator and founder of the now-famous Tuskegee Institute (in 1881) — argued persuasively that industrial training was a powerful resource in building economic self-sufficiency and a sense of self-respect among African Americans. He promoted a rigorous program of education in what would today be called the blue-collar professions.

• African American History by Melba Duncan

W.E.B. & Booker T.Booker T. believed in education in the crafts, industrial and farming skills, patience, enterprise and thrift. This would win the respect of whites and lead to full acceptance as integrated citizens



Washington drew intense criticism from African American thinkers, however, for his opinion on social equality: He argued that it was inappropriate for African Americans to struggle for social parity with whites before having achieved economic equality.

• African American History by Melba Duncan

W.E.B. & Booker T. W.E.B. Du Bois, a towering black

intellectual, scholar and political thinker (1868-1963) said no – Washington's strategy would serve only to perpetuate white supremacy, and oppression.


W.E.B. & Booker T. Du Bois advocated political action and a

civil rights agenda (he helped found the NAACP).


W.E.B. & Booker T. Du Bois advocated political action and a

civil rights agenda (he helped found the NAACP). He said, “The Negro Race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men.”


W.E.B. & Booker T.“The problem of education then, among Negroes, must first of all deal with the “Talented Tenth.” It is the problem of developing the best of this race that they may guide the Mass away from the contamination and death of the worst.”


W.E.B. & Booker T.At the time, the Washington/Du Bois dispute polarized African American leaders into two wings--the 'conservative' supporters of Washington and his 'radical' critics.


W.E.B. & Booker T.

The Du Bois philosophy of agitation and protest for civil rights flowed directly into the Civil Rights movement which began to develop in the 1950's and exploded in the 1960's.

Booker T. today is associated, perhaps unfairly, with the self-help/ colorblind/ Republican/ Clarence Thomas/Thomas Sowell wing of the black community and its leaders. The Nation of Islam and Afrocentrism also derive from this strand out of Booker T.'s philosophy. However, the latter advocated withdrawal from the mainstream in the name of economic advancement.

W.E.B. & Booker T.

Rev. Jesse JacksonThe more closely one looks at American history, the harder it is to escape the conclusion that it does in fact resonate like circles in a pond, from the central fact of slavery.


Shortly after the founding of the NAACP in 1909, three other groups merged to form the National Urban League. This new organization focused on the many challenges and obstacles faced by African Americans in U.S. cities.

... it does not belittle African-American creativity and determination to conclude that given existing power relationships heavily favoring whites, southern Blacks could not possibly eliminate racial inequality without outside federal assistance.


Steven F. Lawson;Charles Payne;James T. Patters. Debating the Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1968

Furthermore, Washington officials had to protect African Americans from intimidation and violence to allow them to carry out their challenges to discrimination. Without this room for maneuvering, civil rights advocates would encounter insurmountable hurdles in confronting white power.



Although united around the struggle against white supremacy, premacy, African Americans were not monolithic in their outlook and held various shades of opinion on how best to combat racial bias. By allocating precious resources and conferring recognition on particular elements within local Black communities, national leaders could accelerate ate or slow down the pace of racial change.



... it does not belittle African-American creativity and determination to conclude that given existing power relationships heavily favoring whites, southern Blacks could not possibly eliminate racial inequality without outside federal assistance. Furthermore, Washington officials had to protect African Americans from intimidation and violence to allow them to carry out their challenges to discrimination. Without this room for maneuvering, civil rights advocates would encounter insurmountable hurdles in confronting white power.



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W.E.B. & Booker T