Comparing and Contrasting The Ideologies of Booker T. Washington and W.e.b Du Bois

Immediately following the Civil War, African Americans were faced with great discrimination and suffering. The newly free slaves were faced with the problem of making their stance in society that once looked at them as nothing more than property. During this period, two men became leaders of two different ideas. Booker T. Washington of Virginia and William Edward Burghardt DuBois of Massachusetts, held two very different approaches regarding the best way for African Americans to improve their situations. While their methods may have differed, both of these men had a common goal in the uplift of the black community.

Booker T Washington was among the most important African-American leaders of his time. Born in Franklin County, Virginia in the mid-1850s, spent his early childhood in slavery. After growing up, Washington felt that a formal education was the best way to improve his living standards. Because of segregation, the availability of education for blacks in was fairly limited. In response, Washington traveled to Hampton Institute where he took industrial education. At Hampton, he focused on industrial or practical working skills as opposed to the liberal arts. Because of his experiences at Hampton, Washington went on to become an educator as well as a supporter of industrial education, founding the Tuskegee Normal and Agricultural Institute. He advocated African-American peoples advancement through learning practical skills, particularly trades and agricultural skills, rather than through university education and voting rights. He believed that African-Americans had to help themselves before whites would help them, and he thought that African-American entrepreneurship in the learning of practical skills would enhance the solidarity of their community. Rather than attacking Jim Crow head on, he believed that if African-Americans helped themselves, they would eventually advance politically and achieve civil rights. Born in 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, W. E. B. DuBois grew up both free and in the North. He did not experience the harsh conditions of slavery or of southern prejudice. He grew up in a mainly white environment, attended Fisk University as an undergraduate, was the first African-American person to ever earn a doctoral degree from Harvard, and was one of the founders of the national Association for the advancement of colored people. DuBois demonstrated his political beliefs through his involvement in the Niagara Movement, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and served as editor of The Crisis, a black political magazine. He felt that blacks should educate themselves in the liberal tradition, just as whites. DuBois approach was received well by other northern freemen. Different from Booker T. Washington, he wanted African-Americans to enjoy civil rights and voting rights equal with whites in a more immediate way than what Washington called for. Du Bois thought that the African-American elite were critical in bringing about African-American equality, so Du Bois advocated advanced to education for African-Americans and not just the work related skills.

One of the biggest disagreements in ideas between the two was over the issue of black suffrage. In terms of voting, DuBois believed that campaigning for the ballot was necessary, but opposed giving the vote to the uneducated blacks. He believed that economic gains were not safe unless there was political power to protect them. Washington, on the other hand, felt that DuBois did more harm than good and served only to irritate southern whites. While there were many points of disagreement between Washington and DuBois, there were similarities in their ideas as well. Both worked against lynching and opposed racially motivated violence. While Washington may have stressed industrial education over liberal arts, he did believe that liberal arts were beneficial. Though both men can be criticized on various aspects of their approaches, both DuBois and Washington were key figures in the advancement of African Americans. Washington and DuBois were both in pursuit of racial equality, but had different ideas on how to reach it. Washington believed in economic equality, then political and social equality. While it was important to build economic stability within the African American community, voting rights were necessary to achieve political and social equality. DuBois plan encouraged political and social equality, which was essential at the time. The founding of the NAACP helped pass important laws during the movement.

Although Washington’s plan made sense and was important, W.E.B. DuBois ideas were true for many African Americans who felt the need for equal rights between races.

​Comparison Of Booker T. Washington’s and W. E. B. Du Bois’s Novels

​The flip of the 19th century was a period in black history that carried with it major economic, cultural, and political changes. The Reconstruction era and Gilded Age had all over with rising authoritative Jim Crow laws, which made a clear division among the American population. The publishing of Booker T. Washington’s, Up from Slavery and W. E. B. Du Bois’s, The Souls of Black folks each occurred within the early 1900’s once oppression of the Negro race in America was best-known internationally. The two men’s novels are both persuasive writings that questioned the land they lived on. The similarities and differences in Washington and Du Bois’ novels will be clear through their individual composition style, belief frameworks, and life experiences.

​First, the two novels went up against a singular vogue whereas being assembled for the publication. Booker T. Washington’s story is a chronological retelling of his life from his introduction to the world as a slave in Virginia until his arrival to Virginia as a speaker. His story was written in first person and shockingly it appeared to have an overall happy mood throughout its entirety. However, there was the occasional letter inserted in the story from friends, family, or important people all of which Washington would comment on. On the other hand, there is Du Bois’s novel that is actually a collection of essays and stories he compiled during the turn of the 19th century, and rarely goes into his life before becoming an educated man. They are all reflections of his life, and the point of view jumps around from first to third in a better attempt to have the reader fully understand what it meant to be an African American during the time. Moreover, all of the chapters begin with a famous quotation and then musical lines of an African American song. The verses and songs in a way seem to sum up of the chapter before it is even read, for they can relate to each specific story Du Bois tells. Though, both of the stories display different writing techniques, they both are important primary sources about the struggles African Americans endured.

​Next, these two prominent figures of black history had their own beliefs and answers to the issues of a harsh society. Washington believed that the best interests for blacks of this time could be to obtain through education in the crafts and industrial skills. He wanted his fellow brothers and sisters to temporarily restraint the fight for political power and full civil rights, and further educates themselves of their industrial and farming skills. Then, their self-made economic security would slowly win the acceptance and respect of whites, and would break the barrier between the two races. Overall, Washington emphasized that education is the key and is how the post-slavery chains will be removed from himself and the black people. His goal was to persuade others by the example his own life. However, a completely different outlook on how to answer the race problem was given by Du Bois. Du Bois was completely against Washington’s way of solving the problem and has a whole chapter about it within his novel. He believed that the educated blacks should unite in their fight for rights, and demand them instead of accepting what they are given. For an educated man can question the institution of segregation placed upon their race. Du Bois’s goal throughout the story was making the status of the African American race in America known to all. He believed blacks possessed two identities when looking at themselves. They finally had become Americans, yet still carried with them their chained black past. Thus, it is evident that both figures knew education was the tool needed, however they both compelled separate ways of applying the learned knowledge.

​Lastly, Du Bois and Washington’s individual experiences are historical in the fight for black equality. The two men both lived satisfying lives committed to their life work and purpose of the black cause. Washington started his educational career at 16 years old at the Hampton Institute while performing janitorial duties to pay his board. Later after graduating, he returned to West Virginia and taught adults and children. He at that point left to learn at the Wayland Seminary in Washington D.C. where upon his completion joined the staff at the Hampton Institute. Years later in 1881, he was asked to be the president of the Tuskegee Institution, which promoted literacy among freed blacks. Here began the monument of his life work, for the rest of his days would be spent supporting the school. Then, the year 1895 marked a turning point in his life when he gave the Atlanta Compromise Address speech that would outline his beliefs for the rest of his days. Furthermore, in 1900 with help from T. Thomas Fortune the creation of the National Negro Business League happened with Washington the first president. He even accepts and invitation by Andrew Garrison to go to Europe and preach his words of wisdom. The book ends with a speech before a mixed crowd of black and white to the City Council of Richmond, Virginia, and Washington never feeling more hopeful for the African-American race. Like Washington, Du Bois was also a very educated man, for he attended Fisk University and was the first African American to earn a PhD from Harvard. The character of Alexander Crummel seemed to be of great inspiration to Du Bois because of the great life-long example he set. W.E.B. Du Bois was a political activist that incorporated his knowledge of sociology into his quest for changing racial policies.

​In conclusion, the turn of the 19th century was a pivotal time in United States history for race relations, and out of it came two great books written by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. They were both viewed as prominent black figures of their time providing answers to a national race problem. However, there is a clear distinction between their styles of writing, belief systems, and life experiences. I enjoyed both novels and understand the importance they were trying to make, but Up from Slavery had a better point a view.

Works Cited

1. Washington, B. T. (1901). Up from Slavery. Doubleday, Page & Co.
2. Du Bois, W. E. B. (1903). The Souls of Black Folk. A. C. McClurg & Co.
3. Huggins, N. I. (1978). Harlem Renaissance. Oxford University Press.
4. Harlan, L. R. (1984). Booker T. Washington: The Making of a Black Leader, 1856-1901. Oxford University Press.
5. Lewis, D. L. (1993). W.E.B. Du Bois: Biography of a Race, 1868-1919. Henry Holt and Company.
6. Washington, B. T. (1995). Up from Slavery: An Autobiography. Penguin Classics.
7. Du Bois, W. E. B. (1996). The Souls of Black Folk. Dover Publications.
8. Harlan, L. R. (2006). Booker T. Washington: Volume 2: The Wizard of Tuskegee, 1901-1915. Oxford University Press.
9. Lewis, D. L. (2009). W.E.B. Du Bois: A Biography, 1868-1963. Macmillan.
10. Anderson, J. D. (2014). Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935. University of North Carolina Press.