Read the excerpt below from Booker T. Washington's book *Working with the Hands* (1904):
'We began our work... with industrial education, not because we undervalued or doubted the value of higher education, but because we felt that the first and most pressing need of the great mass of our people was for some form of training that would enable them to find a footing in the economic life about them.'
Which of the following statements best describes how this passage refutes a common misconception about the debate between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois?
- AIt illustrates that Washington believed industrial training was the sole educational model suitable for African Americans, creating an absolute philosophical divide with W.E.B. Du Bois.
- BIt suggests that Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois disagreed on the ultimate goal of Black advancement, rather than on the strategic methods used to achieve it.
- It demonstrates that Washington did not reject the value of higher education, but rather viewed industrial training as a pragmatic starting point for economic survival in the post-Reconstruction South.Answer
- DIt indicates that Washington advocated for the immediate integration of classical liberal arts into the Tuskegee curriculum, rendering Du Bois's later critiques entirely groundless.
Answer
The correct answer demonstrates that Washington did not reject the value of higher education, but rather viewed industrial training as a pragmatic starting point for economic survival in the post-Reconstruction South.
The correct option is correct because the excerpt shows that Booker T. Washington did not oppose higher education, but rather argued that economic footing through industrial education was the most immediate need for the majority of Black Americans. This clarifies that their disagreement was about strategic sequencing rather than an absolute opposition to each other's educational goals.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois Debate Nuance