Two Roads to Equality: Washington vs. DuBois
- Rosie Jayde Uyola
- Jan 26
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 4
Option 1: The "Safety vs. Freedom" Debate
"Booker T. Washington believed that demanding full equality immediately was dangerous and would lead to more violence against Black Americans. W.E.B. Du Bois argued that waiting for equality was even more dangerous because it allowed unfair laws to become permanent."
The Question: Is it better to accept partial freedom to stay safe, or to demand full freedom and risk your safety?
Option 2: The "Tools of Change" Debate
"Washington argued that economic power (money and property) must come before political power. Du Bois argued that political power (voting and rights) must come first to protect your money."
The Question: Can you truly own anything (like a business or a home) if you don't have the vote to protect it? Why or why not?
Key Vocabulary
Booker T. Washington: An educator who believed African Americans should focus on learning trade skills (farming, carpentry) to gain economic independence before fighting for social equality.
Vocational Training: Education that teaches specific job skills (like mechanics or construction) rather than academic subjects (like philosophy or literature).
W.E.B. DuBois: A Harvard-educated scholar who demanded immediate voting rights and social equality. He helped found the NAACP.
The "Talented Tenth": DuBois’s idea that the top 10% of educated Black leaders should fight for the rights of the entire community.
Part 1: Do Now (5 minutes)
Directions: Read the prompt below and write a 5-8 sentence response.
Target: I can evaluate the different strategies for achieving racial equality by comparing the philosophies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois.
Prompt: Imagine you and a group of friends are being treated unfairly by a boss at work. You have two choices:
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Sentence Starter: I would choose Option... because... I think this strategy works better because if you...
Part 2: Analyzing the Sources
Directions: Analyze the two documents below and then answer the questions that follow.
Source 1: Booker T. Washington, The "Atlanta Compromise" Speech (1895)
Context: Washington spoke to a mostly white audience in Atlanta. He argued that Black people should stop fighting for social equality ("agitation") and focus on working hard.
Original Text | Simplified Text |
"The wisest among my race understand that the agitation of questions of social equality is the extremest folly, and that progress in the enjoyment of all the privileges that will come to us must be the result of severe and constant struggle rather than of artificial forcing... In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress." | "The smartest people in my race understand that protesting for social equality right now is a foolish mistake. Real progress comes from working hard and struggling, not from forcing it to happen before we are ready. In our social lives (friends, marriage), Black and white people can be as separate as fingers on a hand. But in things that help the economy (work, money), we can work together like a hand." |
Source 2: W.E.B. DuBois, The Niagara Movement Declaration (1905)
Context: DuBois rejected Washington's ideas. He met with other Black leaders at Niagara Falls to demand full rights immediately.
Original Text | Simplified Text |
"We refuse to allow the impression to remain that the Negro-American assents to inferiority, is submissive under oppression and apologetic before insults... The voice of protest of ten million Americans must never cease to assail the ears of their fellows, so long as the right of these ten millions to vote is not respected, their right to be free men... and their right to work and enjoy the reward of their work." | "We refuse to let people think that Black Americans accept being treated as inferior, or that we will just quietly accept insults... The voice of protest of ten million Black Americans must never stop shouting until our right to vote is respected, our right to be free men is respected, and our right to work is respected." |
Analysis Questions
Directions: Answer the writing questions and the two Multiple Choice questions.
1. In Source 1, Booker T. Washington uses the metaphor of the "fingers and the hand." What is he telling white people about segregation (separation)?
Sentence Starter: He is telling white people that he accepts segregation because...
2. In Source 2, how does W.E.B. DuBois disagree with Washington's idea of being "submissive" (quiet)?
Sentence Starter: DuBois disagrees with Washington by saying that instead of being quiet, African Americans must...
Regents-Style Multiple Choice
3. Booker T. Washington’s philosophy, as described in Source 1, is best summarized by which statement?
(1) African Americans must immediately demand full political and social equality.
(2) Vocational training and economic independence are the keys to long-term racial equality.
(3) The "Talented Tenth" should lead the Civil Rights movement.
(4) African Americans should move back to Africa to escape discrimination.
4. W.E.B. DuBois (Source 2) was a founder of which organization that fought for the legal rights of African Americans?
(1) The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
(2) The Tuskegee Institute
(3) The Populist Party
(4) The American Federation of Labor (AFL)
Part 3: Exit Ticket (7 minutes)
Directions: Answer the following prompt in a complete paragraph (5-8 sentences).
Prompt: Using evidence from both sources, contrast the strategies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. Who do you think had the better strategy for the time period (1900s)? |
Sentence Starter: Booker T. Washington believed the best path to equality was through... (Source 1). On the other hand, W.E.B. DuBois argued that... (Source 2). I believe [Name] had the better strategy because…
Extended Learning:
