Compare and Contrast W.E.B Dubois, Booker T Washington

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Compare and Contrast During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, there was a social reform going on in the South. The Civil War had ended and Lincoln had freed the slaves. This meant that they were free to join society but they still faced issues. Even though they were freed men now, they still had to deal with poverty and discrimination throughout the South. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois were two of the strongest leaders of the black community and had very different strategies of dealing with the problems blacks faced during this time period. Booker T. Washington’s strategy for dealing with discrimination was one of self help and education. He believed that the best way of equality is earning it. If they started to rebel against the discrimination, it would only make the whites more determined to keep them oppressed. He believed that the blacks could work to gain the respect of the whites. Washington also preached that educating the blacks would not only be beneficial to them, but the whites also. They could greatly help the Southern economy and work in the factories. Many people during this time period supported his strategies and saw what he was saying as very influential. He believed in the evolution of black society and the only way to gain equality would be by earning need of work Washington felt that blacks could not be a in a position to improve their standing until their communities reached a level of development that made equality undeniable. 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 not be denied as equals. In the meantime, blacks should avoid politics and
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