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

Read the following excerpt from Booker T. Washington's Atlanta Exposition Address (1895):

'Our greatest danger is that in the great leap from slavery to freedom we may overlook the fact that the masses of us are to live by the productions of our hands, and fail to keep in mind that we shall prosper in proportion as we learn to dignify and glorify common labour... No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.'

Which of the following statements best describes how W.E.B. Du Bois's strategy for Black advancement contrasted with the philosophy expressed in this excerpt?

  1. Du Bois asserted that economic progress could not be sustained without securing civil rights and political power, which required an intellectually trained leadership class.Answer
  2. B
    Du Bois proposed that vocational training should be completely eliminated from educational curricula, asserting that academic study was the only valid pathway to social progress.
  3. C
    Du Bois maintained that Black Americans should accept political disenfranchisement temporarily while focusing exclusively on establishing independent financial institutions.
  4. D
    Du Bois argued that social equality could be achieved solely through economic self-help, agreeing that political agitation was counterproductive to Black progress.

Answer

Du Bois asserted that economic progress could not be sustained without securing civil rights and political power, which required an intellectually trained leadership class.
The correct option is correct because W.E.B. Du Bois argued in works like *The Souls of Black Folk* that economic self-reliance and vocational education, while useful, could not succeed or be sustained under a system of racial segregation and disenfranchisement. He believed that political agitation for civil rights and the cultivation of an educated elite (the 'Talented Tenth') were essential to safeguard any economic gains.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the provided excerpt from Booker T. Washington's Atlanta Exposition Address.
Identify Washington's emphasis on vocational education, industrial labor, and gradual economic progress rather than immediate political agitation.
This establishes the baseline philosophy to which Du Bois's ideas will be contrasted.
2
Recall W.E.B. Du Bois's primary critiques of Washington's strategy.
Du Bois argued that political disenfranchisement and social inequality would undermine any economic progress achieved through manual labor, and that higher education (the 'Talented Tenth') was essential to lead the race.
This allows for a direct contrast between the two figures' strategies.
3
Evaluate the answer choices to find the one that accurately represents Du Bois's critique and contrast with the excerpt.
The statement emphasizing the necessity of civil rights, political power, and an intellectual leadership class to support economic progress is correct.
This choice correctly captures the nuances of Du Bois's argument without oversimplifying it as a total rejection of vocational education.

Key Concept

The debate between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois centered on the relative importance of vocational education and economic accommodation versus higher education, political agitation, and immediate civil rights.
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Topics

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

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