Two Strategies in Empowering African Americans

Empowering African Americans: Two strategies
Name
HIST 105
Prof. Stansbury
Date
Booker T. Washington supported economic advancement of back people, while political and civil rights were secondary to his cause, and was entirely opposed to continued social segregation. To Washington, education of the black people was important to improve their wellbeing, even as this would be detrimental to them exercising their political rights in the short run. W.E.B. DuBois argued that Washington’s view further promoted the enslavement of black people, while education was necessary to empower blacks and improved political participation and advanced the eights of black people. In the Niagara Movement, DuBois supported improved political organization of African Americas rather than continued abuse and separation. I highlight the accommodationist response as supported by Washington and the support of full civil, political and social rights for African Americans.
In 1895, Washington made a speech in the Atlanta Exposition Address later known as the Atlanta Compromise where he emphasized economic success for African Americans was one of the most pressing issues and the south had provided some opportunities to achieve this. Booker T. Washington supported black people working within the established structure to gain education ad focus on economic prosperity before political participation (Washington). The educator and reformer allayed fears of racial intermingling among whites by supporting separation. Washington was the principal of Tuskegee Institute and was the only black person to talk at the exposition and he emphasized building a black business community and improving race relations.
DuBois held a contrary view to Booker T. supporting active political participation of blacks and fighting for their rights. Niagara Movement was one of the civil rights organizations that focused on advancing the rights of African Americans and improving at pol...