Comparison Of W. E. B. Dubois And Booker T. Washington

This work by Booker T. Washington, “The Atlanta Exposition Address”, or also known as “The Atlanta Compromise”, was a speech given in 1895 at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta that had a lasting impact not only to the crowd listening, but to the nation as a whole. Booker T. Washington was admired and appreciated by many black Americans. Although, everyone in the African American Community admired his overall achievements leading up to his speech in Atlanta, some of his ideas and thoughts became very controversial within the black community and possibly encouraged the Jim Crow era by proposing the ideology of separate but equal. “The Atlanta Exposition Address,” was significant in shaping history because it; sparked a split and debate within the African American community over the ideas Booker T. Washington proposed in the address, and simultaneously affected the nation as a whole with future laws passed off the basis of Washington’s ideology. To understand the context of where Booker T. Washington’s stance is in the address, people must first understand Washington’s background and his audience during the speech.

Booker T. Washington was born a slave and worked as a janitor to get through school. Whereas W.E.B. Du Bois was born in the North and faced very little discrimination, and had an easier time getting into College. They were well educated, and the only difference between them was how they were raised in different environments. Both were on the journey to improve African American’s social and political status in America. However, they had different methods for getting what they wanted.

Booker T Washington writes the book “Up From Slavery”; in this book, he writes about being born a slave and growing up battling to get his education after the Civil War. He talks about the battle and speeches he had given to try to express the necessity of the Negros to be equal. “I tried to emphasize the fact that while the Negro should not be deprived by unfair means of the franchise…and that no race without these elements could permanently succeed.” (Washington 208). Washington is saying that many Negros were denied rights due to their color, and in fact, he felt that the Congress should help out.

Atlanta Exposition Argumentative Essay Civil rights activist, Booker T. Washington in his address “Atlanta Exposition” delivers and influential speech about equality of race in the South. Washington's purpose is to appeal to white southerners and importance of the common interests between African-Americans and whites. He adopts a persuasive tone in order to convince both African American and white southerners that they can achieve progress but separately. Washington begins by addressing the population of African Americans in the south.

and Du Bois both had very similar ideals for the future of African Americans, However, they also clashed frequently with their philosophies. One of their main differences had to do with how they voice their opinions. Booker T. was a firm believer in submission and laying low temporarily. As Booker T. states in his ‘Atlanta Compromise’ speech, “No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.” He viewed the matter as being unavoidable to have conflict, so he figures that the less they care about discrimination, the smaller the problem will become.

DuBois wanted blacks to take a more aggressive stance against those who were against them. The approach more beneficial would most likely be Washington’s. Obtaining an education, getting a job, and becoming an active

In response to this, W. E. B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington proposed their own plan to fight for equality. Although both plans have their advantages, Dubois’ plan offers a more effective method to the path of equality because it establishes Blacks into American Society and did not make them

Around the end of the 19th century, there lived many people wanting equality between races. Two main leaders of the African American community that emerged during that time were W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. All though both of these men were fighting for the same cause, they disagreed greatly with each other relating to the strategies that could be used to create progress in both the social and economic aspects of how African Americans lived and were treated. The two conflicting philosophies of these men are still affecting how we think of racial inequality, social class injustice, and much more; to this day.

Thesis statement: The two great leaders in the black community debating about the issues that face the Negro race and Du Bois gave a compelling argument by using pathos, logos and ethos to create an essay that will appear to all readers. Outline: This essay will showcase the contradicting philosophies between W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Also, paying close attention to the different types of leadership between the two historic leaders in the black community. Both W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T. Washington contributed to and helped shape the future of African Americans.

Both Washington and DuBois believed that the issues pertaining to race should be solved. Although they agree with each other, they are different in some aspects. Both Washington and DuBois agree that education is an important factor in improving conditions for African Americans. Along with that, both men think that there should be equality for every race and that civil rights should be available to everyone regardless of the race. Another thing that both men agree on is that lynching should be banned.

Achieving African American Equality Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois were two of the most influential advocates for African American equality during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (Blatty, 1). Although both men ultimately had the same goal, their methods for achieving African American equality were remarkably different. To begin, the men had conflicting ideas about what constituted as African American equality. Booker T. Washington argued that the accumulation of wealth and the ability to prove that Blacks were productive members of society would be the mark of true equality for African Americans (Painter, 155).

W.E.B DuBois’ plan was smarter than Booker T. Washington’s because DuBois’ plan was to fight for the rights of African Americans, and give people a good and equal education. Booker T Washington’s plan was to ignore segregation and discrimination so he can just focus on the wealth and education of former slaves to win over the whites acceptance. One part of DuBois’ plan was the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP. This Association was one of the most influential civil rights organization. It “focused on legal strategies designed to confront the critical civil rights issues.”.

In the mid-to-late 1800s the African American community faced opposition and segregation. They were segregated from the whites and treated as second-class citizens. This segregation was caused in part by Jim Crow laws. Jim Crow laws separated races in schools, hospitals, parks, public buildings, and transportation systems. Both Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois had ideas on how to improve African American lives, Washington believed in starting at the bottom and working up whereas Du Bois had an opposing viewpoint he saw starting from the bottom as submissive and believed African Americans should hold important jobs in order to demand equal treatment.

He believed that African American economic gains were not secure unless there was political power to safeguard them. “I think, though, that the opportunity to freely exercise such political rights will not come in any large degree through outside or artificial forcing…" (Washington 234). They both believed in equality. Although one believed in used force and military movements the other used writing to reach his audience. While there were many points of contention between Washington and DuBois, there were similarities in their philosophies as well.

In 1895, one-third of the population of the south is of the African American race. This contributed to the racial tension. In The Souls of Black Folks by W.E.B. Du Bois called “Of Our Spiritual Strivings,” his point of view is how does it feel to be the problem? African Americans have to put up a veil and be compelled to live a double life. In the “Atlanta Compromise” by Booker T. Washington, his point of view is that African Americans need to work through a struggling progress in order to earn equality.