Debois and Booker T Washington

Washington vs. DuBois Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois had different views on how they were going to work towards equality for blacks. Booker T was the dominant african american leader from 1890 to 1915. Dubois graduated from Harvard University and was the leader of the Niagara Movement. Booker T wanted the blacks to work for their equality. “No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. It is at the bottom of life we must begin, and not at the top” (Booker T). He thought the blacks should focus on getting jobs first and start fitting into society so they can prove themselves to the white men. Booker T went around America and got well liked by a lot of white men who agreed with his beliefs. Dubois was the complete opposite. Dubois believed that the blacks should be equal with the white men immediately. “It is the fashion of today to sneer at them (blacks) and say that with freedom Negro leadership should have begun at the plow and not in the Senate-a foolish and and mischievous lie” (Dubois). The white man thought that the blacks should work their way up, like Booker T. But Dubois thought that was completely wrong and that Blacks should have started with full rights and equality with the white men. I think at that point in time the blacks should have worked their way up. Yes, it is unfair that they were not equal with the white men, but that is just how it was back then. Rather than trying to get it immediately right after they were just slaves, they should have focused on getting jobs and just fitting into society before demanding or even requesting equality with the white