Du Bois Is an Education in Itself;

¶ … Du Bois is an education in itself; the man is a giant of letters and his editorial positions were actually prophetic because by the Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950s and 1960s many Blacks were demanding the things that Du Bois demanded years before. Another purpose was to show that there were several approaches taken by Black leaders in terms of the advancement of African-Americans in a segregated, Jim Crow-toned society.

After reading the assignment I did not change my perspective on the differences in approaches by Washington and Du Bois because I already was aware that the two were quite far apart in philosophies. But by once again studying the juxtaposition between the two, my understanding of the problems of Black folks came into greater focus for me.

THREE: I did not encounter any difficulties in the writing or editing of the assignment, but I was not sure how deeply I should go into the Washington legacy. He was an internationally renowned spokesperson for the education of African-Americans, and when he traveled to Europe he was invited to meet the Queen of England (Queen Victoria) and other notables. So I was tempted to put some of his accomplishments up against Du Bois' harsh rhetoric, but I resisted.

FOUR: I love history and it is fascinating to look back at how the society was keeping African-Americans down and yet today we have an African-American President of the U.S.

FIVE: The essay chosen was the W.E.B. Du Bois' critique of Booker T. Washington.

SIX: America still is not a country where people of color can consistently expect justice and fairness, notwithstanding the progress that has been made. The essay was written from that perspective, and from the perspective of learning how things were in recent history.

Critical Evaluation Essay

In the article (which is an excerpt from Du Bois' book), "Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others," it is clear that Du Bois was militantly and aggressively opposed to Washington's fairly soft, non-controversial approach to educating African-Americans. Du Bois was perceptibly frustrated with any strategy that did not prepare Blacks for the civil rights battles that lay ahead. And he succeeds brilliantly in making his points; this paper will explain why he had success notwithstanding the brutal honest he embraces while taking an American icon (Washington) to task.

Certainly Du Bois shows little patience for the "…old attitude of adjustment and submission" (Nordquist, 2012). Du Bois is talking about the industrial revolution when he says "unusual economic development," and while there is within the tone and substance of Du Bois' narrative that he has a positive outlook, he is very negative about Booker T. Washington's objectives and strategies. This is not a new argument between people with different outlooks on how to make progress for African-Americans in a society that is dominated by Caucasians.

It should be pointed out that Booker T. Washington became well-known around the turn of the century for his advocacy of industrial education for African-Americans. He was considered by many something of a trailblazer in U.S. racial history because he believed that teaching young African-Americans trades was the right way to enfranchise them and help them be able to have careers that bring in sufficient incomes, allowing them to be self-sufficient, have self-respect, and enjoy the good life if they are able to.

Washington believed that helping Black students to learn how to bathe and set a table properly, get to work on time and learn working class skills, was as important as knowing history and politics (Washington, 1901)

But Du Bois obviously thought that Washington was selling out the Black community by not pushing for "political power," not advocating for and insisting upon "civil rights," and because Washington did not urge Black youth to receive higher education beyond high school. Du Bois believed that by training young Black citizens in work trades, that was the equivalent of "submission" to the Caucasian race. Du Bois was known as a brilliant and visionary intellectual albeit he was militant in his writings and in his approach to the problems African-Americans had in becoming fully participating citizens in a segregated society.

In his scholarly narrative, professor Du Bois does not hesitate to use a bit of hyperbole and exaggeration. For example, he writes that Booker T. Washington -- through Washington's advocacy of industrial education for Blacks -- is asking Black people to "give up" their rights and their chance at education. That's simply not true, but it shows the reader how intense Du Bois feels about the issue. Du Bois also asserts that Washington is advocating that Blacks embrace "…a silent submission to civic inferiority" and that they don't need to press for the right to vote.