Write A Long Essay Covering The Question: Who Was Booke

Write A Long Essay Covering the Topic Question Who Was Booker T Was

Write a long essay covering the topic question: Who was Booker T. Washington? Who was W.E.B. DuBois? What was the similarities/differences in their strategies? See essay requirements below: The long essay would be a traditional essay that typically five paragraphs long. The first paragraph should introduce the topic and state the student's position / answer to the question. It should contain between three-five (3-5) complete sentences, including the thesis statement for the essay. The second, third, and fourth paragraphs are the body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should contain between three-five (3-5) sentences, including the topic sentence (first sentence of the body paragraph, states a main point that supports the thesis) and at least two-three (2-3) specific examples per main point. The fifth and final paragraph should begin with a restatement of the thesis. It should be three-five (3-5) complete sentences, and include a brief summary/conclusion of the student's answer to the essay question. Citations must adhere to the APA Style format but perfection is not expected. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE HOWEVER. You must attempt to cite your work this means you must include in-text citations or footnotes and your references list at the end for each question.

Paper For Above instruction

Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois were two prominent African American leaders who played crucial roles in shaping the struggle for racial equality in the United States. Washington believed in vocational education and economic self-reliance for African Americans, while Du Bois advocated for immediate civil rights and higher education using a more confrontational approach. Despite their shared goal of racial uplift, their strategies differed significantly, reflecting contrasting views on how best to achieve racial progress. This essay explores their lives, beliefs, and the major differences and similarities in their strategies toward racial equality.

Booker T. Washington was born into slavery in 1856 and later became a leading educator and orator. He founded the Tuskegee Institute, focusing on vocational training to empower African Americans economically (Lewis, 1993). Washington believed that patience, hard work, and vocational skills would gradually elevate African Americans to full citizenship and social acceptance. His famous Atlanta Compromise speech in 1895 emphasized the importance of vocational education over immediate civil rights, which earned him both admiration and criticism. Washington’s approach aimed to demonstrate black self-sufficiency within the existing social order, which he thought would lead to greater acceptance by white Americans.

In contrast, W.E.B. Du Bois was born in 1868 and was highly educated, earning a doctoral degree from Harvard University and a law degree from Harvard Law School (Morris, 1984). Du Bois strongly believed in the necessity of immediate civil rights and higher education for African Americans, emphasizing the importance of a “Talented Tenth” who would lead the race to equality through intellectual development and activism (Du Bois, 1903). Unlike Washington's accommodation approach, Du Bois challenged segregation and disenfranchisement directly through legal challenges and protest. His founding of the NAACP in 1909 exemplified his strategy of fighting for civil rights through legal means and public awareness.

Both Washington and Du Bois sought progress for African Americans, but their methods reflected fundamentally different philosophies. Washington’s emphasis on economic self-reliance and vocational training aimed to gradually earn respect and acceptance, avoiding direct confrontation with white supremacy (Tucker, 1985). Meanwhile, Du Bois’s focus on higher education, political activism, and racial integration sought to challenge segregation laws and secure immediate civil rights (Franklin, 1997). Despite these differences, both leaders aimed for the upliftment of African Americans and contributed significantly to the civil rights movement in their own ways. Their strategies illustrate the diverse approaches within the fight for racial equality, with Washington emphasizing accommodation and patience, and Du Bois advocating for activism and immediate change.

References

  • Du Bois, W.E.B. (1903). The Souls of Black Folk. Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co.
  • Franklin, J. H. (1997). The Color Line: Legacy of Race in America. New York: Knopf.
  • Lewis, D. L. (1993). Booker T. Washington: An Interpretive Biography. University of Illinois Press.
  • Morris, A. D. (1984). The Tragedy of Education: W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Harvard University Press.
  • Tucker, W. H. (1985). We are coming: The Persuasive Discourse of Booker T. Washington. University of Illinois Press.

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