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What's the main difference between W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington's teachings?
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The main difference between W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington's teachings lies in their approaches to African-American progress. Washington advocated for economic self-reliance through vocational training and accepting segregation temporarily to gain white respect. In contrast, Du Bois pushed for immediate civil rights and higher education, emphasizing the "talented tenth" to lead the community. Du Bois's views resonated more with later civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.
Booker T. Washington delivered an important speech in 1895 in which he outlined his views on civil rights. This speech, the so-called "Atlanta Compromise," was delivered to an overwhelmingly white audience. Washington called upon black citizens to achieve economic prosperity rather than fighting for full political and economic equality. He seemed to accept racial segregation when he stated: "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." Wealthy whites backed Washington's approach.
W.E.B. Du Bois was an ardent critic of Washington's moderate approach. The result was a split in the movement. The two men attempted to resolve their differences by meeting in 1904. Despite initial success, the attempt to reconcile their two views failed.
By the mid-twentieth century, the civil rights movement became very powerful under leaders such as Martin Luther King,...
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Jr. King and other leaders of the civil rights movement were much more influenced by Du Bois than Washington.
The main difference between the teachings of W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T.
Washington lies within their beliefs regarding the best way to achieve progress
within the African-American community. Booker T. Washington believed that
the best path to African-American progress resided within a temporary
acceptance of the racial discrimination aimed at them. He thought that
even though they were free from slavery, African-Americans should continue to
seek work in crafting and agriculture. That is, they should continue to
hone the labor and farming skills that were once forced upon them in order to
earn and save money and perhaps even begin to create businesses for
themselves. He believed that this would help them to gain the respect of
the white community, which would eventually bring about an end to racism and
racial discrimination.
W.E.B. Du Bois, on the other hand, believed racism and oppression would only
continue if African-Americans followed Booker T. Washington’s plan.
Instead, Du Bois believed that African-Americans should begin to pursue further
education. In his essay collection The Negro Problem, he
advocated for a “talented tenth” of the African-American population to become
leaders of the race via education, leadership, and social activism. Later
in his life, Du Bois came to realize that progress could emerge in a number of
ways, and that the contributions of those who didn’t pursue a traditional
education were also integral to social progress.