Booker T. Washington And W.E.B. Du Bois

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At a time when the African American social status is not equal to whites and has never been, many leaders arise to appeal the white government for social equality. Two great leaders of the black community in the late 19th and 20th century were W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Although they had very different tactics, they both found a passion in trying to advance the African American race. Booker T. Washington believed in civil rights through evolution, and W.E.B. Du Bois was more influenced by a revolution. Washington was born enslaved, his mother was black who was a cook for the plantation, and his father was white who he never knew. He had his first job at 9 as a salt furnace. He always had a desire to learn, so he went to night school after working all day trying to support his family. He worked his way through the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute as a janitor graduating in 1875. Later in 1881, he became head of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. Washington felt that blacks could not be a in a position to improve their social standing until their communities reached a level of development that made them prove that they can do things just like whites, or even better. He told blacks to concentrate on education and financial progress as well as keeping close community ties. This way, in time, the black community would be full of doctors, lawyers, architects, teachers, businessmen and other professionals. The black community would evolve out of its poverty into something that could no longer be looked down upon. In the meantime, blacks should avoid politics and confrontations. Because of this, many thought of him as sell out. His strategy depended on there being an advanced black community before it could take up the quest for political rights. In 1881, he headed the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, which aimed to equip African

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