Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois and John Hope Essay

The South was a complete mess after the Civil War. The early part of the 20th century brought many changes for African Americans. There was a difficult challenge of helping newly free African American slaves assimilate among their white counterparts. They suffered from crop failures, economic hardships, and the early failures of Reconstruction in the south. So as result many Southern African Americans migrated to northern cities in search of employment and a chance at a better life. However, Southern African Americans migrating to northern cities quickly discovered that they were not able to enjoy the same social and economic mobility experienced by their European immigrant counterparts arriving around the same time. There were many†¦show more content†¦The Atlanta Compromise was said only 30 years after slavery had been abolished. Racial tensions were still at an all-time high with the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan and white southerners reluctant to give up slaves. Washingt on’s speech emphasized that African Americans should help white people, especially southern whites. In order to improve relations with southern whites, Washington suggested vocational-industrial education for African Americans. His ideas were a contrast to W.E.B. Du Bois. How could Booker T. Washington realistically expect African Americans to essentially pretend to be buddies with white people? The south still felt slavery was a good thing. Slaves created a significant amount of income for their owners. The south felt it was a social necessity and wanted to prevent the risk of a race war. Nobody even knows how much northern whites cared about African Americans in the first place. Abraham Lincoln was racist and never made the war about slavery until the south was winning all the battles in the first stages of the war and parts of the northern population wanted out of the war. The Emancipation Proclamation was just a military strategy. It accomplished two major things that helped the north eventually win. Banning slavery made the north feel like they had something to fight for. They felt like it was good versus evil. So it was a morale booster. TheShow MoreRelatedWhat It Means to be American Essay1256 Words   |  6 Pagesopportunities even though the y had rich history in this land before it was taken away from them. Look at what Zitkala-Sa endured. Not only that, but African Americans have fought long and hard for freedom and equality as well. W.E.B. Du Bois stood for change. His opposition of Booker T. Washington’s views are recorded in â€Å"The Souls of Black Folk†. Immigrants are another oppressed group. Ralph Ellison also speaks of difficulties endured and how he was treated in â€Å"Invisible Man†. Gloria Anzaldua tells ofRead MoreWilliam Dubois And African American Achievement Since The Paris World s Fair818 Words   |  4 Pageshis graduate studies at Harvard , W.E.B Duboi wrote an passage on the history of the slave trade. The slave trade is still considered one of the most talked about subject today. In 1895 W.E.B. Dubois was the first ever African American to earn a doctor degree from Havard University. In 1897, DuBois occupied a job at Atlanta University. During the time that he spent there he conducted studies of how african americans were treated in america. In the passage W.E.B Dubois 1868-1963 it states â€Å"In 1900Read MoreThe Souls Of Black Folk By. B Du Bois860 Words   |  4 PagesThe Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Du Bois, is an article on a African-American living in the United States. In this piece of literature Du Bois harshly portrays the personal and third person accounts African – American struggles during a period of slavery. The author uses many songs to depict the cruel life in four essays. In this piece Du Bois coins two main terms, â€Å"double consciousness† and â€Å"the Veil.† Overall the author provides the reader how the twentieth century is the problem of the color lineRead MoreLangston Hughes and Countee Cullen: Perspective on Re ligion4176 Words   |  17 PagesAmerican Literature II Authors: Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen: Perspective on Religion Susan Glaspell and Charlotte Gilman: Roles of Women W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T Washington: Political View In the 1920s, the somewhat genteel world of American poetry was shaken to its foundations when the Harlem Renaissance started. During those times, all over the United States, thereRead More The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Dubois Essay3329 Words   |  14 Pages The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Dubois The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Dubois is a influential work in African American literature and is an American classic. In this book Dubois proposes that the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line. His concepts of life behind the veil of race and the resulting double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at ones self through the eyes of others, have become touchstones for thinking about race in America. In additionRead MoreW. E. B. Dubois Essay1753 Words   |  8 Pageswell deserved rights granted by the 14th Amendment, therefore, they were not able to live up to their full potential. They often had to work extra hard to get basic needs such as education, jobs, and even a place to live. In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B DuBois claims â€Å"The problem of the Twentieth Century was the color line,† meaning that there was a clear division of race during this time (DuBois v). The book provides a number of essays which all convey the issue of Afr ican American discriminationRead MoreWashington Organized An Effective Approach Of Gradualism Among Blacks But Was Disrupted By Militant Leaders892 Words   |  4 PagesWashington organized an effective approach of gradualism among blacks but was disrupted by militant leaders like W.E.B. Dubois. After reconstruction, the hopes for full citizenship rights were broken when the government renewed white supremacist control to the South. The government adopted a laissez faire policy, and the Jim Crow laws brought social, occupation, and educational discrimination to the American Negro. In 1896, the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson strengthened the segregationRead MoreA Philip Randolph1711 Words   |  7 Pagesstation in hopes of defending the man. There was a small chance of the man having a fair trial, but at least he had not been lynched. Because continuing education was not the norm for African Americans, Asa and his brother looked for work after graduating high school. Asa landed a job at the Union Life insurance Company. He then floated from job to job. Reverend James had different anticipations for his boys. Knowing that his first born never really followed his faith, he turned to Asa in hopes of himRead MoreArt or Propaganda? - a comparison between Alain Locke and W.E.B.Dubois5435 Words   |  22 Pages1. Introduction. W.E.B. Dubois and Alain Locke were important contributors to the epoch called Harlem Renaissance. With their writings atrists wanted to do something against racism, they wanted to show that the African - Americans dont have to feel inferior. Writing in the April, 1915, issue of Crisis, DuBois said: In art and literature we should try to loose the tremendous emotional wealth of the Negro and the dramatic strength of his problems through writing ... and other forms of art. WeRead MoreThe History of Affirmative Action1628 Words   |  7 Pagesunder a tree, while a white man labored intensely. Along with public promotion, lots of prominent individuals came out spoke vehemently against the establishment of compensatory laws. Of the principal objectors of compensatory laws was Booker T. Washington. Washington believed the best interests of black people would be attained through schooling in the crafts, industrial skills cultivation of the virtues of patience, enterprise, thrift. He urged his fellow blacks, most of whom were impoverished