Similarities Between Washington And Dubois In The Reconstruction Era

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 was an African-American civil rights activist that established Tuskegee University. Booker T. Washington was born a slave and at the age of nine he was freed, thanks to the emancipation that was passed. Washington always wanted to have a good education and eventually be economically successful because most African-Americans didn’t have those privileges. As a result of this Washington worked very hard as a janitor and a teacher of an elementary school to gain his wealth, so he could eventually lead a university. In America, at the time when Washington was “building” his university, former slaves couldn’t get successful because white people didn’t want African-Americans to be better than them and/or that white people were more wealthy from birth; therefore, they were more qualified for a certain job.

Peter Schroeder Dr. Christopher Marshall Modern United States History 2/2/17 Writing Assignment 1: The African-American Experience with Reconstruction Reconstruction among the south refers to the point in time which the United States was attempting to establish a relationship between the union and the rebels. The Union had won the civil war, so the next step was to begin to mend the broken relationship between the north and the south. Though historians cannot agree on when it began, there is merit in saying that it started before the end of the Civil War. After victory, had been solidified for the Union, attention of President Lincoln turned towards reconstruction.

Booker T. Washingtons' Up from Slavery is an example of an antebellum slave narrative. (Criner & Nash 4). Booker's slave narrative focused on his success at creating an African American school after his time in slavery. He illustrates that his experience in slavery paved the way for his role as a successful schoolteacher at "Hampton" (Up from Slavery 22). His slave narrative also continued the discussion about racism between races by giving examples of racism in the north.

Booker T Washington was an Civil rights activist, educator, author, orator, and advisor for many presidents. Washington was the most influential African American male in the late 19 century and early 20th. Booker Taliaferro Washington was born on April 5, 1856 in Franklin County, Virginia. He was raised by his mother, Jane, who was a slave ; his father, was an unidentified white male. In most states prior to the Civil War, the child of a slave became a slave, it was also illegal to teach slaves to read and write.

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.

Dubois and Washington strategies were extremely different and the way they thought about going about equality. Washington was loved by whites he was not the one to get confortartional. Washington wanted blacks to sit around and wait. Whereas Dubois was hated and feared by whites. Dubois was an agitator.

The Reconstruction Era occurred in 1865, it was was a period after the Civil War in which America was focused on rebuilding the broken South. In 1867, the Radical reconstruction gave former slaves a voice in government. During this era, formers slaves gained a platform in the government, with some blacks as Congressmen. However, not everyone supported the idea of Reconstruction. Less than a decade after the Reconstruction period, a small group composed of democratic ex-confederate veterans, white farmers and white southerners sympathetic to white supremacy joined forces together to form the Ku Klux Klan.

Booker T Washington in his literary work up from slavery has a central theme of freedom throughout. The story has a tale of Washington and his quest throughout his life, and his aim to be successful. The tone he uses to weave his tale would be an optimistic point of view and lighthearted tone. As he firmly believes that blacks and whites can live together in harmony. The way Washington believes the way to accomplish this is through education at his institute then using the education to progress in life.

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.

However Booker T. Washington believed in having a more skillful education, consisting of learning how to trade, mastering agriculture skills and more things one would need to get a job. However, W.E.B DuBois also put many efforts to achieve equal rights towards African Americans which Booker T Washington put on hold. Booker T Washington’s plan was to make it so that “Blacks would [have to] accept segregation and discrimination but their eventual acquisition of wealth and culture would gradually win for them the respect and acceptance of whites”. This vision that Booker T Washington had “practically accepts the alleged inferiority of the Negro race”. W.E.B commented on this process saying it was an attempt, “to educate black boys and girls simply as servants and underlings.”

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.

W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington were two great leaders of the black community in the late 19th and 20th century. They both had the same intent with their thought but they came from two different backgrounds so it was hard for them to have agreement. Booker T. Washington spent his early childhood in slavery. W. E. B. DuBois grew up both free and in the North. Ergo, he did not experience the harsh conditions of slavery or of southern prejudice he grew up with white Americans and even attended predominately white schools.

Racism’s Impact on Reconstruction While the issue of slavery evidently contributed to the divide that resulted in the American Civil War, it is debated whether prevailing ideals of racism caused the failure of the era following the war known as Reconstruction. With the abolishment of slavery, many of the southern states had to reassemble the social, economic, and political systems instilled in their societies. The Reconstruction Era was originally led by a radical republican government that pushed to raise taxes, establish coalition governments, and deprive former confederates of superiority they might have once held. However, during this time common views were obtained that the South could recover independently and that African Americans

African-American historian W.E.B Dubois illustrated how the Civil War brought the problems of African-American experiences into the spotlight. As a socialist, he argued against the traditional Dunning interpretations and voiced opinions about the failures and benefits of the Civil War era, which he branded as a ‘splendid failure’. The impacts of Civil War era enabled African-Americans to “form their own fraternal organizations, worship in their own churches and embrace the notion of an activist government that promoted and safeguarded the welfare of its citizens.”