Danvi Pham 10/6/13 Green

W.E.B. Dubois versus Booker T. Washington

W.E.B Dubois and Booker T. Washington were two of the most influential black leaders in the nineteenth and twentieth century. After the Emancipation Proclamation was enforced, black slaves became free, but they were discriminated against, had fewer rights, and were still economically and socially enslaved. Although both W.E.B. Dubois and Booker T. Washingtons goals were to improve the black communitys social and economic disadvantage due to discrimination, Dubois thought the key was through political equality, Booker T. Washington insisted that majority of freedmen in the South accept segregation and strive to join the working classes. Booker T. Washington says To those of my race who depend on bettering their condition in a foreign land or who - underestimate the importance of cultivating friendly relations with the southern white man. (Booker T. Washington, Atlanta Exposition Speech) He believes the freedmen in the South should accept segregation to a certain degree, and strive to join the working classes in order to slowly gain acceptance from whites. The first step in raising their social and economic status was to be educated, and self-reliant. To those of the white race who look to immigrants for the prosperity of the Southyou will find that [blacks]will buy your surplus land, make the waste places in your fields blossom, and run your factories. (Booker T. Washington, Atlanta Exposition Speech) Blacks need to show that they are willing to work for the white people. The government does not need to encourage immigrants to come work as laborers, because the blacks will do that. On the other hand W.E.B Dubois wanted civil rights and education for the black community. He wants political equality, and does not think that segregation should be accepted. All blacks should stand

up to discrimination. With the right to vote goes everything we want it now, henceforth and forever... (W. E. B. Dubois, Autobiography) He refuses to submit to discrimination, under any circumstance. We will fight for all time against any proposal to educate black boys and girls simply as servants and underlings.(W. E. B. Dubois, Autobiography) Dubois is very self-righteous and wants to force the government into giving them the civil rights they should have. Booker T. Washingtons method of improving the economic and social situation of the black community is very strategic. His method allows whites to slowly adjust to the idea of free blacks working for them, and make them necessary in society. As long as they are needed they will have power, and be able to eventually rise, and gain civil rights. Although Washingtons method seems passive, it will help them in the long-run, the only merit is that in the meanwhile, as the blacks are trying to raise their status, whites can take away what they have. W.E.B. Duboiss method is too aggressive and unrealistic. Yes blacks do need civil rights, but simply demanding for them, and participating in political activity will do nothing. They have no power in the first place, who cares what a black man wants and demands? He and the other black people are nothing in the eyes of the white people. The aggressiveness of his method could cause backlash, and more hatred between the groups, which will just worsen the situation. They need to make themselves valuable, in order to have power. W.E.B. Dubois believes in firmly standing for what is right, which would give him a lot of support from other blacks, but would be ineffective in changing the situation for the black community.

Bibliography
PBS. "Booker T. and W.E.B." PBS. Ed. PBS. WGBH educational foundation, n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2013.<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/race/etc/ road.html>.

Xroads, ed. xroads. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2013. <http://xroads.virginia.edu/ ~ug03/souls/washingtonvsdubois.html>.