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Question

Difficulty: MediumBlack Education, HBCUs, and Philosophical Debates

In his 1903 essay 'Of the Training of Black Men,' W.E.B. Du Bois wrote the following:

'If we make money the object of man-training, we shall develop money-makers but not necessarily men; if we make technical skill the object of education, we may engender citizens who will degrade the state. The object of all true education is not to make men carpenters, it is to make carpenters men.'

Based on the excerpt, which of the following best describes Du Bois's primary critique of the industrial education model promoted by some of his contemporaries?

  1. It prioritizes economic utility and manual training over the development of critical thinking and civic leadership required for full citizenship.Answer
  2. B
    It falsely suggests that manual labor and vocational skills have no place in the social and economic advancement of Black Americans.
  3. C
    It fails to recognize that Black Americans must emigrate to West Africa to establish liberal arts institutions free from racial hostility.
  4. D
    It overlooks the fact that higher education should be restricted to spiritual training for ministers within the Black church.

Answer

The correct answer is the option stating that the industrial model prioritizes economic utility and manual training over the development of critical thinking and civic leadership.
The correct answer is correct because Du Bois's statement that the goal of education is 'to make carpenters men' directly argues that technical skill and wealth accumulation should not be the sole focus of education. Instead, education must develop the human mind and prepare individuals for civic responsibility and leadership, which requires a liberal arts foundation rather than just industrial training.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the contrast Du Bois makes between 'making money' or 'technical skill' and 'making men'.
Recognize that Du Bois opposes limiting education to vocational training.
To understand the core argument of the passage.
2
Determine how the quote critiques industrial education in the context of the early twentieth-century philosophical debates.
Identify that focusing solely on 'carpenters' (technical skills) neglects 'making them men' (intellectual and civic development).
To connect the primary source to the debates between industrial education and liberal arts.
3
Evaluate the options to find the one that accurately describes this critique without oversimplifying the debate.
Choose the option focusing on the prioritization of economic utility over critical thinking and civic leadership.
To arrive at the correct historical interpretation.

Key Concept

The philosophical debate surrounding Black education in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, specifically W.E.B. Du Bois's critique of an exclusive focus on industrial education at the expense of liberal arts and civic leadership.
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Topics

Black Education, HBCUs, and Philosophical Debates

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