Existing comment:
Clash of the Titans: Du Bois versus Washington:
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915):
Booker T. Washington was the most prominent black man in America at the dawn of the twentieth century. His well-known autobiography, Up From Slavery, told the story of a young slave rising to a nationally recognized position of respect and influence through hard work and self-reliance. At the age of 25, Washington became the leader of the Tuskegee Institute, the best-known historically black college in the United States. Washington believed that prosperity for blacks depended on economic self-sufficiency and accommodation to social segregation. He hoped that by giving up on demands for social equality in the South, African Americans would be allowed to participate in economic growth. Most white leaders and many black people supported Washington's position.
WEB Du Bois (1868-1963):
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois broke new ground on many frontiers in his remarkable and controversial life. Du Bois earned the first Harvard doctorate awarded to an African American. During a prolific career of writing and publication, including sixteen thought-provoking books on sociology, history, politics, and race relations, Du Bois became the principal architect of the civil rights movement in the United States. He perceptively said, "The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line." In 1905, Du Bois fought for civil rights with an elite group of African Americans known as the Niagara Movement. The formation of this group marked the beginning of Du Bois' public assault on racial discrimination. He was also among the first to grasp the international implications of the fight for racial justice. Although Du Bois contributed on a global scale to the advancement of civil rights, he was not universally applauded. His uncompromising dedication to principle resulted in a mix of devotion and resentment.
The Clash...
WEB Du Bois disagreed strongly with Booker T. Washington's position on civil rights. He felt that Washington's so-called "accommodationist policies" undermined the quest for equality. Du Bois organized the Niagara Movement to demand equal enforcement of the law for all races and active political involvement at all levels of society.
One of the reasons why the Niagara Movement is not well known today is that Washington used his power and influence to stifle press coverage. Aside from one or two exceptions, only a handful of newspapers owned by members of Niagara reported on the Movement. |