Marisa Paloma Williams

Blue Group
Grossman
Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. Dubois Opinion Piece
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois were both African American educators near
the time of reconstruction. They had strong opinions on the improvement of race relations
between whites and African Americans. Booker T. Washington felt the improvement of race
relations should focus on economic prosperity, whereas W.E.B. Dubois felt that it should focus
on civil rights.
Booker T. Washington was born a slave in Franklin County, Virginia. He grew up in a
poor family, but later on in life took up many jobs and put himself through schooling. Booker T.
Washington viewed the major solution for issues regarding broken race relations between
freedmen and whites to be the economic revival of African Americans. Washington argued that
all the privileges that will come to us must be the result of severe and constant struggle rather
than of artificial forcing. He claims if newly free African Americans attain material prosperity
that effort or means so invested will pay a thousand per cent interest. In regard to political
reform, Washington suggests willing obedience among all classes to mandates of law.
Washingtons method of thought deeply encourages compliance with most if not all instances of
social and political inequality. He implies that these equalities for African Americans will come
as a result of working hard and revitalizing their economic status. This concept is generally
sound in that revitalization of economic status will definitely improve social and political
inequality. However, it is unfair to ask people who were unwillingly oppressed economically to
live their lives begging their oppressors for acceptance by trying to prove their intelligence and

Marisa Paloma Williams

Blue Group
Grossman
respectability through economic success. Also, it is generally hard to legitimately improve
economic status without full political equality.
W.E.B. Dubois grew up in Barrington, Massachusetts - a mostly white town. Dubois
went to Harvard, and throughout his lifetime studied politics and social sciences. Dubois felt as
though the leading solution to issues regarding race relations between African Americans and
whites was civil rights. In response to the ethics of Booker T. Washington, Dubois insisted that it
is utterly impossiblefor working men and property owners to defend their rights and exist
without the right of suffrage. He lists the right to vote, civic equality, and the education of youth
according to ability to be the three things that must be asked of our government in order to even
begin to be complaint. He suggests that economic success, cannot come before civil rights
because relentless color-prejudice is more often a cause than a result of the Negros
degradation. This concept is extremely solid. He implies that economic status is a result of social
equality and status, therefore in order to improve economic status, our country must first improve
social and political equality. Dubois continues this rhetoric and claims that African Americans
must strive for the rights which the world accords to men. The only shortcoming of this
mindset, is that both political and social equality aren't easily attainable within a short period of
time, and if the focus of African Americans is not partially on economic success it will become
very easy for the economic status of African Americans to take a downward spiral.
Although the philosophies of W.E.B. Dubois and Booker T. Washington contrast in many
areas, they do overlap to some extent. Both civil rights and economic prosperity are extremely
important factors to the status of African Americans in our country. Today, the black middle class

Marisa Paloma Williams

Blue Group
Grossman
has been steadily declining since 1970 (A.J. Robinson). The black underclass in 1995 had
tripled since 1980 (Urban Institute). However, the percentage of black 18-24 year olds in 1995
was 7% more than in 1975 (Journal of Blacks in Higher Education). It is suffice to say that civil
rights and education for African Americans has definitely increased, whereas economic status
has decreased. In regard to recent times, W.E.B. Dubois train of thought has not necessarily been
successful. Booker T. Washingtons line of reasoning is more relevant to todays environment,
because economic prosperity, which Washington advocated for, is now the most pressing need
for African Americans. Overall, regardless of contrasting opinions, both Booker T. Washington
and W.E.B. Dubois ideas regarding improvement on race relations are legitimate and
respectable.