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Difficulty: MediumBooker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois Debate

In *The Souls of Black Folk* (1903), W.E.B. Du Bois critiques Booker T. Washington's strategy for African American advancement. Du Bois highlights a central contradiction in Washington’s insistence that Black Americans focus first on industrial education and property ownership before demanding civil equality and voting rights. Which of the following statements best summarizes Du Bois's critique regarding the relationship between economic progress and political rights?

  1. It is impossible for a disfranchised class to protect their economic gains and property without the defensive power of the ballot.Answer
  2. B
    Economic development is entirely unnecessary for racial uplift because political rights alone will guarantee social equality.
  3. C
    Vocational education should be entirely replaced by liberal arts education because manual labor prevents intellectual development.
  4. D
    African Americans must seek complete emigration to West Africa to establish economic independence before demanding US citizenship.

Answer

It is impossible for a disfranchised class to protect their economic gains and property without the defensive power of the ballot.
The correct option accurately reflects Du Bois's argument that political rights and the ballot are essential safeguards for economic progress and property ownership. Without these rights, any economic gains made by African Americans would remain vulnerable to legal and physical disenfranchisement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Du Bois's critique of Washington in *The Souls of Black Folk*.
Du Bois argues that Washington's program of economic accumulation without political agitation is contradictory.
To understand the relationship Du Bois establishes between economic and political power.
2
Evaluate the role of political rights (the ballot) in protecting economic interest.
Without the ballot and civil rights, property and economic gains cannot be legally defended or sustained.
To identify the core mechanism of Du Bois's argument against Washington's accommodationist strategy.

Key Concept

The interdependence of political rights and economic progress in the Washington-Du Bois debate.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois Debate

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