Debate of Washington v. DuBois v. Garvey
During the early 20th century the three famous African American leaders including, W. E. B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, and Marcus Garvey had compelling visions for the African American community. The reconstruction of the civil war did not come with the desired hope of the complete right of citizens to be free of slavery. In the 1980s a terrorist group known as the Ku Klux Klan played a significant role in realizing changes that were expected since they introduced racial segregation laws, lynching, and voting restrictions compromising the rights brought about by the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments passed after the civil war ended. The main difficulty that the black community in America faced was how they would relate to the white society, which spent the better part of their authority to ensure black people are not their equals. However, the three visionaries at that time offered a different outlook giving solutions to the problems at hand.
Born a slave in Virginia, Booker T. Washington developed a passion for reading and learning. Washington attended an elementary school and later joined the Hampton Institute. Washington became the leader of a school in Tuskegee, Alabama. The new school became renowned for political influence and African American education. With this strategic platform, Washington was able to express his vision for the black Americans arguing that they should focus on getting educated, acquiring knowledge concerning useful trades, and being pioneers of their own businesses. By working hard, gaining merit, and realizing economic progress, according to Washington this would prove to the whites the value of the black man in the American economy. With this notion in mind, Washington was certain that equal civil and political rights would come naturally (Harlan 212). He then advised the blacks to relax on their demands concerning voting and ending racial discrimination. In 1985, in Atlanta, Georgia, Washington accepted that racial segregation was a reality. However, he did not compromise on his dream and still proposed that black Americans should participate in the economic progress of the South. The whites viewed his vision to be one that would contribute to racial peace within the country. With the help of white philanthropists, Washington was considered as the spokesman of the black community. However, other leaders criticized his efforts, since at that time there were high cases of anti-black violence, yet Washington tolerated racial discrimination.
W. E. B. Du Bois
Born in Massachusetts in 1868, W. E. B. Du Bois went to racially integrated schools, then proceeded to Fiske College on a scholarship. He competed for his formal education at Harvard attainment a Ph.D. in history. Du Bois was a facilitator at an Ohio-based college after which he became a head researcher studying the social conditions of black Americans in Philadelphia. For the study, he was able to conclude that white discrimination kept the blacks from getting good paying jobs. Two years later, after the Atlanta Address of Booker T. Washington, Du Bois expressed that the black Americans need to become complete Americans boasting the American citizen rights. He had a vision of a unique group of professional black leaders who would ensure the black community received equal rights and high economic standards like the whites (Walters 134).
Du Bois did not agree with the fact that Washington was supporting racial segregation since in his view it gave the whites more reasons for them to deny the black man a right to vote and undermine his efforts for progress. He also didn’t agree with Washington’s Tuskegee approach, which he said it led black boys and girls to become servants and juniors. By the time World War I began, Du Bois became a great leader of the black community (Walters 140). Unlike Washington, Du Bois wanted black Americans to gain equal rights with immediate effect, however he did not realize the fruits of his efforts. But after the black civil rights movement in the 1950s, the blacks began to enjoy the rights that Du Bois wanted for the black community.
Marcus Garvey
Born in Jamaica, in 1887, Marcus Garvey became a visionary, and in 1914 he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). This organization shared Washington’s vision of self-improvement and racial pride. Garvey admired the efforts of Booker T. Washington. However, his idea was more international based. He envisioned international cooperation and shipping lines owned by black people. In 1919 he established a shipping company 'Black Star Line,' belonging to a black man. The shipping line became famous among black Americans to the extent that many bought stocks. In 1920, Garvey organized a UNIA convention attended by over 20,000 people. The meeting denounced segregated public transportation, lynching, and job discrimination. He believed that the whites would never accept the black man as equal to them (Stein 216). Therefore, he urged black Americans to separate themselves and build their own society. He also proposed that all black people in America should return to Africa where they would not be subjected to white colonial rule. Garvey had a plan to move black Americans to Liberia. However, Garvey's UNIA did not have the necessary funds, and many black people did not show any interest in going back to their homelands in Africa.
Garvey faced many problems and was even arrested in 1922. His vision of creating separate societies and returning to Africa did not find favor in the hearts of black Americans. He died nearly a forgotten man and did not achieve the goals of his vision. And unlike the ideas of Du Bois and Washington, Garvey’s vision was not realized even after his death (Stein 220).
The visions of the three visionaries Washington, Du Bois, and Garvey did not survive to adorn the future of black Americans. The mid-20th century saw new leaders who guided the civil rights movement like Martin Luther King Jr. The efforts of the former the visionaries on a broader scale did not go to waste as they paved the way for other black leaders.
Works Cited
Harlan, Louis R. Booker T. Washington in Perspective. Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi, 1998. Print.
Stein, Judith. The World of Marcus Garvey. Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press, 1986. Print.
Walters, Raymond. Du Bois and His Rivals. Columbia, Mo.: University of Missouri Press, 2002. Print.
