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Question

Difficulty: MediumBlack Education, HBCUs, and Philosophical Debates

Read the following excerpt from an 1897 address by minister and scholar Alexander Crummell at the founding of the American Negro Academy:

'The Negro, as a class, is a working man... But is there no other need? Is there no other demand? ... The mind of the Negro, as a class, needs development, culture, and training ... The demand of the hour is for a higher, a more refined, a more intellectual class of men... It is the demand for the culture of the mind, the training of the intellect, the development of the soul, as the primary and paramount necessity of the race.'

Based on the excerpt, which of the following best describes Crummell’s perspective on the goal of Black education during this era?

  1. A
    He advocated for Black Americans to temporarily forgo social equality and focus exclusively on industrial training and manual labor.
  2. B
    He asserted that Black Americans could only achieve true intellectual development by emigrating to Africa and establishing educational systems there.
  3. He believed that developing a highly educated intellectual leadership was essential for racial progress, challenging an exclusive focus on industrial education.Answer
  4. D
    He argued that Black educational institutions should focus strictly on religious theology rather than secular academic pursuits.

Answer

He believed that developing a highly educated intellectual leadership was essential for racial progress, challenging an exclusive focus on industrial education.
The correct answer accurately identifies Crummell's perspective that the 'culture of the mind, the training of the intellect' is the paramount necessity of the race. He defends the value of higher intellectual training and the development of an educated leadership class to uplift the community, directly contesting the view that Black education should be limited to manual or industrial training.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the provided excerpt from Alexander Crummell's 1897 address.
Identify that Crummell is arguing that the mind of Black Americans needs 'development, culture, and training' and that the 'culture of the mind, the training of the intellect, the development of the soul' is the primary necessity of the race.
This establishes his core educational philosophy.
2
Contextualize this argument within the late-nineteenth-century debates on Black education.
Determine that Crummell's emphasis on intellectual cultivation and an 'intellectual class' directly counteracts the dominant educational model that advocated for limiting Black education to vocational and industrial training.
This helps match Crummell's goals with the correct choice and eliminate distractors representing industrial or emigrationist models.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one matching the emphasis on intellectual leadership.
The option advocating for the development of intellectual leadership matches Crummell's call for a refined, intellectual class, making it the correct choice.
This confirms the correct option based on text evidence.

Key Concept

Philosophical debates on Black education in the late 19th century, specifically the advocacy for intellectual development and higher academic training to create a leadership class.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Black Education, HBCUs, and Philosophical Debates

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