Ari Charles October 2, 2013 CAP US History Green W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T.

Washington: Divergent Paths To Black Equality Essay W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington were both influential activists who at some level advocated for black equality in Reconstruction-era America, but nevertheless held different views on the best way to achieve that goal. DuBois was a political reformer, arguing that unimpeded suffrage was the key first step in overcoming oppression, while Washington pushed for a milder approach, suggesting submission and hard work was the way to go about the matter. DuBois, in his crusade for political change, wrote that the power of the ballot we need in sheer self-defense, else what shall save us from a second slavery? (DuBois) DuBois, in his manifesto of sorts, demanded that all black citizens be given the right to vote, civic equality, and education, (Gibson) knowing that the most staunch obstacle to achieving equality was the severe lack of black representation in Congress. He went on to reason that if blacks could elect candidates who would support the black struggle, then legal reforms could go into place and the various overlords of the New South Southern democrats and terror groups such as the Ku Klux Klan would be at long last struck down. Washingtons idea of the ideal path to take was a world away from DuBois. He encouraged blacks to accept discrimination for the time being and concentrate on elevating themselves through hard work and material prosperity, (PBS) arguing that economic inequality was what stood in the way of achieving equality. Washington held a dim view of the government, believing the institution to be ineffective in bringing about social change. If blacks would adopt an every-man-for-himself mentality and strive for self-betterment in the workplace and in the bank account, Washington instead insisted, they would soon find

Ari Charles October 2, 2013 CAP US History Green W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington: Divergent Paths To Black Equality Essay

themselves on par with whites many of whom showed thunderous support for the plan, as it maintained black inferiority and complacency (Gibson). Contemporarily, DuBois plan is often cited as the overall more sound approach in a time of relative racial equality, though, such a conclusion would be easy to reach. At the time, not knowing of any better future, Washington made a somewhat valid argument, encouraging the motivational installation of a strong work ethic. His further support for submission did miss the point of striving to achieve equality in the first place, but DuBois ideas were not infallible, either, primarily because of the very nature politics even at the time, Congress was the epitome of big, dysfunctional government, churning out functional legislation at some of the slowest speeds ever observed in its history not unlike more recent Congresses. In conclusion, while W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington, while they held different views on the best way to achieve black equality in Reconstruction-era America DuBois being a political reformer and Washington an economic one they both held a firm belief in their methods and hoped for a day when the black race would find equality no matter which divergent path they took.

Ari Charles October 2, 2013 CAP US History Green W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington: Divergent Paths To Black Equality Essay

Works Cited "Booker T. and W.E.B." Frontline. Public Broadcasting Corporation, n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/race/etc/road.html>. Gibson, Robert A. "Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois: The Problem of Negro Leadership." Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Yale University, n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2013. <http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1978/2/78.02.02.x.html>. Washington, Booker T. The Future of the American Negro. 2nd ed. N.p.: n.p., 1900. Print.