Introduction
The emancipation of the rights of blacks in the 18th Century was significantly shaped by a series of intellectual discourse and antagonism between certain influential figures in the African American society. Booker T. Washington was an accomplished scholar who rose from being born into a slave family to becoming the head of the Tuskegee Institute. He wielded great support in the Black community and even within the corridors of power where he was a close confidant of President Theodore Roosevelt. Within the same political dispensation, there was W. E. B. Du Bois, one of the first outstanding black intellectuals in America as well as T. Thomas Fortune, a journalist of revolutionary stature. The two factions had outstanding differences in their conception of how the African Americans would achieve parity with the whites. It is noteworthy however that they shared a mutual vision of an empowered Black society. Here is an analysis of the two sets of arguments in which the paper will evaluate the most plausible approach from those propounded by the two sets of scholars.
Booker T. Washington’s Propositions
Washington was an ardent supporter of the success of Negroes and having hailed from a slave family; he always envisioned a better society for African Americans. He pioneered the Tuskegee University, an institution which was aimed at equipping young blacks with industrial skills and discipline. In 1895, he gave a speech about the place of African Americans in the society and what is there for them in the future (Bracey & Manisha 141). In this speech, he intimated that it was of the blacks’ primary interest to root for conciliation in the south in a bid to entrench a peaceful coexistence in America. Also, in this speech, he argued that he wanted blacks to concentrate more on industrial education first so as to accumulate more wealth and gain a higher status in the society
His roadmap of blacks achieving superiority in the society was characterized by the averment that African Americans did not have to focus on gaining political power. Instead, personal development was the immediate basic need, and if they would achieve this, then the rest would have to follow gradually. Washington also held that blacks needed to relinquish their pursuit of civil rights. In the alternative of pursuing civil and equality, they were to focus more on their own position in the society; and not their position in relation to other persons. In addition to this, Booker T. Washington proposed that African Americans needed to stop pursuing higher education but instead emphasize on industrial education so that they could become better workers and establish their financial prowess in the country.
W. E. B. Du Bois’ Criticism
Du Bois laid the most scathing of criticisms against Booker T. Washington’s conception of African American progression in the society. He characterized Washington’s compromise speech as a symbol of surrender to the White Americans. According to his position, this speech implied that Washington was ready to lead Africans into accepting their inferior place in the society and not having any progressive ambitions in life. Du Bois heavily criticized Washington because he did not even appreciate the efforts made by African Americans in their quest to have their voice heard in the society. He added that someone who had experienced the life of blacks would ideally not readily propose that they embrace industrial education, seek wealth and pursue conciliation with the South, just after they have gained freedom.
The fact that Washington asked Negroes to acquiesce on their fundamental privileges promoted submissiveness according to Du Bois. This is because even the personal development that was to be pursued could be easily be curtailed by political power held by the White Community. In addition to this, Du Bois argues that the suggestions made by Washington would ultimately result in the disenfranchisement of Negroes and acceptance of their lower legal standing in America. Also, insisting on industrial education would ultimately mean that government might start reducing funding to colleges and universities within the neighborhoods of Black people. Thus, Du Bois summed up the argument by urging that it was not possible for the nine million Negros to make progress in the economic sphere if their political rights are curtailed and if they have been denied access to high levels of educational forums.
The argument of Washington that Blacks had to take responsibility and be accountable for happenings in their life was equally challenged by Du Bois. The young scholar indicated that even if African Americans were to get economic superiority, it would be difficult for them to access political power since they did not have the right to vote in the first place. Additionally, Du Bois pointed out that if the Negros accepted their place in the society, it would be difficult for them to command respect within themselves and on top of this; other communities would not also respect them. Another contention the he made was of the implication that Washington’s view on education was misleading because while he insists on industrial education, he fails to factor in the presence of qualified teachers within the African American society and where they would fit in this model.
The best approach of the two
This paper holds the position that W. E. B. Du Bois’ and Thomas Fortune’s criticisms were plausible observations because the proposals made by Booker T. Washington did not have the very best interests of African Americans at heart. In his writings, Washington seemed to have been oblivious to the miserable conditions that he was urging African Americans to be content with. There is no way in which African Americans would take control of their situation with the existence of a poll tax. A poll tax is an arrangement in which persons whose fathers had not had a right to vote were required to pay taxes every time they wanted to vote. This is a feature that would continually pull down the black race, and it could neither be solved by education nor economic prosperity. Booker T. Washington had not visited this line of thinking.
Washington also did not consider the fact that African Americans did not have the status requisite to attain education and succeed in life. Considering the events that happened leading to the case of Plessy v Fergusson, it would not be safe to argue that blacks would have equal opportunities to those of whites (Bracey & Manisha 127). That is why his proposal on education is flawed because, without this status, the chances of one reaching greater heights were very minimal at the very best. Furthermore, at this point in time, the criminal justice system in America was inclined towards victimizing and punishing African-Americans for crimes that may not even have been committed by them. In a bid to atone for the said crimes the convicted black people were then forced to work on plantations of whites so as to pay off the perceived debt. This resulted in a rejuvenated type of slavery that has often been known as indentured servitude.
The arbitrary imprisonment of the African-American community was actually a renewed oppressive strategy after the slave trade was done away with (Bracey & Manisha 124).. Even when civil rights were guaranteed for all in 1964, racism has since been manifested in other diverse forms including mass imprisonment of the blacks. The criminal justice system has incessantly sought to imprison African-Americans at rates higher than any other group. When prisoners are finally freed, with no skill or education, they find themselves in the same situation they were in before they went to prison. The chances of recidivism are thus high, and they may now find themselves offending more often. Such injustices in the society could not, in any event, be addressed by either economic prosperity or good education. Instead, Du Bois' approach of vehemently mooting for realization of basic civil rights is the most reasonable direction that could have remedied the situation long time ago.
Conclusion
The ideological battle between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois presents African Americans with various approaches of defeating subjugation in the society. However, given the circumstances that existed during their lifetime, not all the options could be explored at the same time. According to this paper, it would have been prudent for the blacks first to advocate for realization of civil and political rights before pursuing any other social goods. This is because such rights at that point proved to be the cornerstone of subsequent entitlements in the society. The paper opines that Washington would not take this bold stance because he wanted to be loved by both whites and blacks and thus he would rather sacrifice the plight of blacks than lose his close relationship with the president.
Works Cited
Bracey, John H, and Manisha Sinha. African American Mosaic: a Documentary History from the Slave Trade to the Twenty-First Century. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004. Print.
