After working so hard for freedom and equality in the eyes of the while man,

African Americans were still having a very hard time in the 1877-1915 time period.
However, it was also during this period that two very well known and different black
rights avocets took center stage. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois were two
brilliant African American men who worked very hard in order to be successful in life,
and wanted to help encourage other African Americans to do the same. Booker T.
Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois each had their own idea with how to deal with the
unequal treatment they received from the whites. It can be argued that Booker T.
Washington’s method was more appropriate for this time period because Booker T.
Washington solely wanted blacks to be economically equal with whites, whereas W.E.B.
Du Bois believed that blacks needed civil equality before they would be able to excel
economically.
Before Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois began their powerful
movements, African Americans were really struggling to be accepted in society. Though
organizations such as the Freeman’s Bureau had been created by the government in order
to help educate and protect African Americans, they soon loss popularity and support
after their creation. This meant that, in comparison to the white population, many black
people were not enrolled in school during the 1860s and 1870s. However, this did not
mean that there was not an increase in the enrollment of black children during this time
period. In fact, the exact opposite is true. After finally earning their freedom, many
parents sent their children to school with hopes that they would become well educated.
Yet, once the reconstruction ended and troops were pulled out of the southern states,
terror organizations such as the KKK discouraged many African Americans to the point
where they did not want to send their children to school for fear of getting harmed. This
was a period of time when lynchings began to mainly target African Americans and
increased in occurance. It was also during this time period that Jim Crow Laws first
appeared, prohibiting African Americans from using the same public accommodations as
whites. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois were two black men who still
managed to get a superb education despite these harsh times that they faced. Once they
began to give their messages, less and less percent of the black population was illiterate
as more and more parents were inspired to send their children to school. Overall, this
lead to a large spike in African American enrollment, starting in 1905.
(Doc. A, B, and C)
Booker T. Washington’s idea about how African Americans should strive to be
equal in economics above all else is summed up in his speech. “Atlanta Compromise
Address”. In this speech Washington declares that, “In all things that are purely social
we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual
progress….” By saying this he is stating his belief that African Americans only need to
equal with respect to the economy, but rights such as voting and social equality are
unimportant. Washington argued that change and equality could only occur gradually,
and that the best was to start was to strive for economic equality. The white population
favored this belief, for they agreed with Washington in that the blacks should not be
socially equal with the whites. In fact, that is why his speech is called the “Atlanta
Compromise Address”, because it compromises the ideas of the blacks and whites.
Thomas Fortune, a Black activist and newspaper editor, wrote a selection about one of
Washington’s ideal communities in Tuskegee, Alabama. Fortune notes on the fact that
the students at Tuskegee learn only practical crafts such as blacksmithing and farming,
and do not waste time on “dead languages” or “superfluous studies of any kind”.
Washington’s idea was more intent on creating a educated black middle class and not at
all intent on giving blacks political influence or social equality. (Doc. D and G)
Though Washington’s idea may have been popular with the white community as
well as some of the black community, he was often mocked and called a coward by
African American rights’ avocets who believed that blacks needed more than just an
industrially oriented education. One of these avocets who believed Washington’s plan
was that of a coward was W.E.B. Du Bois. The Souls of Black Folk, written by Du Bois,
states his belief that blacks need the right to vote, civic equality, and the education of
youth according to ability instead of solely economic progress. Du Bois found it
impossible to believe that all African Americans could live industrially oriented lives
without certain rights. W.E.B. Du Bois did not believe that such changes as political and
social equality would come instantly, he did believe that African Americans should
continually push for these rights. In his quest for equality, Du Bois helped to form the
Niagara Movement which believed in male suffrage, the right to express opinion, and
social equality for all men. Later, W.E.B. Du Bois went on to form the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People which focused on using the court
system to fight the Jim Crow laws. (Doc E and F)
For the time period 1877-1915, Booker T. Washington’s economic equality plan
is debatably the most appropriate. It called for the education of African Americans in
some type of useful trade. This led to the enrollment of many African American students
and helped to reduce illiteracy in African Americans. Though Washington’s plan was
accepted and considered a great compromise by many white Americans, it only helped to
fuel the fury of many African American such as Ida Wells Barnett and Carter Woodson.
Barnett felt that Washington had “joined with the enemies” when he insisted on a gradual
change that did not involve civil equality guaranteed by the 14th and 15th amendments.
Many people, such as Carter Woodson, argued that Washington’s plan mis-educated the
African American people. Woodson argued that by focusing solely on industry, one
would lose ground in the basic things of life. Though W.E.B. Du Bois’s plan of action
did not seem as appropriate for a time period haunted by the KKK and many other groups
of people against blacks, it would later be used as a foundation for future civil rights
movements. (Doc H and I)
All in all, if it had not been for the work of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du
Bois, civil rights may never have advanced to the point they are at today in America.
Though they both had different plans and different strategies for going about them, they
both fought in order to better their people. In conclusion, Washington’s method was only
more appropriate for the time period due to his sensitivity and belief in gradual change.
The world was not quite ready to grant Du Bois’s wish for civil and political equality.