In his 1895 Atlanta Exposition Address, Booker T. Washington argued:
'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. Nor should we permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunities.'
Which of the following statements best describes how W.E.B. Du Bois’s philosophical approach in *The Souls of Black Folk* directly countered this specific strategy?
- ADu Bois argued that vocational and industrial training held no value for African Americans and that the entire population should focus exclusively on liberal arts education.
- BDu Bois agreed that civil rights should be temporarily surrendered, but argued that Washington's focus on agricultural labor should be replaced with factory labor.
- Du Bois argued that economic accumulation was insecure without the legal protection of voting rights and civil liberties, which required a class of college-educated leaders to advocate for political rights.Answer
- DDu Bois advocated that African Americans should completely bypass the American legal and political system to establish a separate, independent sovereign nation.
Answer
Du Bois argued that economic accumulation was insecure without the legal protection of voting rights and civil liberties, which required a class of college-educated leaders to advocate for political rights.
The correct answer is correct because W.E.B. Du Bois argued that economic progress and property ownership could not be secure without the protection of political rights and civil liberties. He believed that seeking economic advancement while voluntarily surrendering political power and civil rights was a logical paradox, and that higher education was necessary to train the teachers and leaders of the race.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The interdependence of political franchise, higher education, and economic security in W.E.B. Du Bois's critique of Booker T. Washington.