Voices of a Movement: Booker T. Washington & W.E.B. Du Bois

Voices of a Movement: Booker T. Washington & W.E.B. Du Bois

Start

VS.

Introduction

In the decades after Reconstruction, African Americans faced harsh realities of segregation, disenfranchisement, and racial violence under Jim Crow laws. During this era of limited rights and opportunity, two influential leaders emerged with very different visions for progress. <-- W.E.B. Dubois & Booker T. Washington --> Their debate over how best to uplift the Black community became one of the most important conversations of the early civil rights struggle, setting the stage for later forms of protest such as boycotts and organized legal challenges.

Imagine: The year is 1900. Jim Crow laws and segregation are in effect. If you were an activist for African-American rights, Would you rather focus your efforts on....

Improving technical skills and getting better jobs to become independent and slowly gain respect from society

Pushing for equal rights right away by using the courts and government to make changes NOW!

Or

Discuss with a neighbor.

Directions: Read about Dubois & Washington, then complete the 2 activities. Complete the Assessment LAST.

Booker T. Washington

W.E.B Dubois

Protests & Boycotts

Comparing the Leaders

Assessment

Click the Youtube Icon to watch a video comparing the 2 leaders

W.E.B. Dubois

Background: W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963) was born in Massachusetts, where he grew up in a relatively tolerant Northern community. He became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard. He went on to become a historian, sociologist, writer, professor, and one of the co-founders of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) in 1909.Philosophy: DuBois believed that African-Americans deserved full civil and political rights immediately. He rejected the idea of waiting for equality through slow economic progress. He promoted the concept of the “Talented Tenth”; the idea that the top ten percent of educated African Americans should lead the way in demanding rights and uplifting the whole community. He supported higher education, leadership training, protest, and using the courts to fight Jim Crow laws and discrimination.

Booker T. Washington

Click the Youtube Icon to watch a video comparing the 2 leaders

Background: Booker T. Washington (1856–1915) was born into slavery in Virginia. After emancipation, he worked in coal mines and salt furnaces while pursuing an education, eventually studying at the Hampton Institute. In 1881, he founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, which focused on industrial and vocational training for African Americans. Washington gained national fame as an educator, author, and public speaker, and he built strong relationships with white political and business leaders who supported his work.Philosophy: Washington believed that African Americans should focus on vocational skills, hard work, and self-reliance as the best pathway to racial progress. He argued that economic success and practical education would gradually win the respect of white society and lead to improved conditions. In his famous “Atlanta Compromise” speech (1895), he urged African Americans to accept segregation in social matters while cooperating with whites in areas of economic development. Washington rejected agitation* for immediate civil rights, instead promoting patience, and advancement through vocational education and personal discipline.

*agitation - active stirring up of public pressure to fight segregation & racism

ActivityShow what you know!

Compare & Contrast

In this activity, drag and drop the different viewpoints and accomplishments of Dubois & Washington to the correct spot on the Venn Diagram. Use your notes or refer back to the readings about each Leader!

Washington Reading

Dubois Reading

Click here for Leader Readings

Venn Diagram

Washington

Dubois

Solution

Drag and drop the text to the correct position, then check your answer.

Founded Tuskegee Institute

Born enslaved

Published influential writings

Advocated education as key to racial progress

Co-Founded NAACP

Promoted gradual progress through hard work

Pushed for Vocational Education(technical skills)

First African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard

Born in a Free State

African American leader during Jim Crow era

Believed in educating the "talented 10th"

Assessment

Once you have completed the ENTIRE assignment, test your knowledge.

1/6

2/6

3/6

4/6

5/6

6/6

Protests & Boycotts

Click through the next pages to learn about how African-Americans fought back through boycotts and protests during the Civil Rights Era

Montgomery Bus Boycott Flyer

This flyer circulated in Montgomery, Alabama after Rosa Parks’ arrest for sitting in the front of the bus that was 'whites only'. This flyer urged Black citizens not to ride the buses in protest. This boycott shows grassroots organizing and how economic boycotts became a major protest tool for change.

Greensboro Sit-In Protest

The Greensboro Sit-Ins began on February 1, 1960, when four Black college students sat at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter and refused to leave after being denied service. Their peaceful protest sparked similar sit-ins across the South, directly challenging segregation and forcing the nation to confront racial injustice.

Selective Buying Campaigns

Selective buying was a peaceful economic protest strategy widely used during the Civil Rights Movement. Rather than boycotting all businesses, activists targeted specific stores that discriminated against African Americans.

March on Washington

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place on August 28, 1963, in Washington, D.C. More than 250,000 people, Black and white, gathered peacefully at the Lincoln Memorial to demand civil rights, equal job opportunities, and an end to segregation. The march is best remembered for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which called for racial equality and justice. The event helped build public support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and remains one of the most iconic moments of the Civil Rights Movement.

Freedom Riders

In 1961, a group of civil rights activists known as the Freedom Riders traveled by bus through the segregated South to test a Supreme Court ruling that had outlawed segregation in interstate bus travel and bus stations. The riders were both Black and white, and they faced violent attacks, including beatings and bus burnings by angry mobs. Despite the danger, their courage drew national attention and pressured the federal government to enforce desegregation laws in public transportation.

Return to Home (Complete Assessment)

Course completed!

Show this page to your teacher!

SEE TEACHER FOR ANSWER KEY

Background: Booker T. Washington (1856–1915) was born into slavery in Virginia. After emancipation, he worked in coal mines and salt furnaces while pursuing an education, eventually studying at the Hampton Institute. In 1881, he founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, which focused on industrial and vocational training for African Americans. Washington gained national fame as an educator, author, and public speaker, and he built strong relationships with white political and business leaders who supported his work. Philosophy: Washington believed that African Americans should focus on vocational skills, hard work, and self-reliance as the best pathway to racial progress. He argued that economic success and practical education would gradually win the respect of white society and lead to improved conditions. In his famous “Atlanta Compromise” speech (1895), he urged African Americans to accept segregation in social matters while cooperating with whites in areas of economic development. Washington rejected agitation* for immediate civil rights, instead promoting patience, and advancement through vocational education and personal discipline.

Background: W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963) was born in Massachusetts, where he grew up in a relatively tolerant Northern community. He became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard. He went on to become a historian, sociologist, writer, professor, and one of the co-founders of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) in 1909. Philosophy: DuBois believed that African-Americans deserved full civil and political rights immediately. He rejected the idea of waiting for equality through slow economic progress. He promoted the concept of the “Talented Tenth”; the idea that the top ten percent of educated African Americans should lead the way in demanding rights and uplifting the whole community. He supported higher education, leadership training, protest, and using the courts to fight Jim Crow laws and discrimination.