Blog #10

 

 

      Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois were two of the most prominent African American leaders at the turn of the 20thcentury. Their educational philosophies varied greatly from each other, but they were both strategies aimed to help African Americans break out of social and political discrimination. Booker T. Washington preached a philosophy of accommodation. That is to say, he urged African Americans to concentrate in learning apprenticeship skills such as farming, and in developing a knack for industrial jobs. Washington did not advocate for higher education, and instead urged African Americans to accept the discrimination they constantly faced. He believed if Blacks laid a low profile, they would eventually gain acceptance into society. W.E.B. Dubois, on the other hand, preached a philosophy of political action. He was an active participant in the unfolding of the civil rights movement. Unlike Washington, Dubois believed in militant action and stressed the importance of higher education among African Americans. He believed Washington’s philosophy of passiveness perpetuated white oppression and the only way in which African Americans would gain acceptance into white society was through education. It is important to consider that the philosophies of Washington and Dubois vary because of their personal experiences as African Americans. Washington spent his early years in slavery, while Washington enjoyed freedom throughout his life. Thus, their methodologies varied in popularity among southern and northern blacks.