Compare the messages of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Suggested Response:
• Booker T. Washington wanted to educated blacks in a manner that would appeal to both blacks and whites. He focused on educating blacks to participate in the workforce in accepted areas of agriculture and factory work. He believed that black people would accept social inequality in exchange for economic opportunity. He worked within the status quo, gaining support from the community and northern white industrialists who wanted a trained workforce in the South.
• W.E.B. Dubois, on the other hand thought, black Americans deserved more and rejected the idea that social inequality was acceptable under any circumstances. Although he did support vocational education, he also pushed for higher education for those who demonstrated academic ability. Dubois's methods were confrontational and overt rather than working within the status quo. He helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and American Negro Academy for black intellectuals. He attacked racism and promoted racial equality in his research, reports, essays, and even fiction.