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

Booker T vs. Du Bois Essay

Assignment/Activity Title— W.E.B. Du Bois vs. Booker T. Washington Essay

Year—Freshman Skill— Research, Writing Portfolio Category— Critical Thinking

The W.E.B. Du Bois vs. Booker T. Washington essay was the first essay that I had been assigned in Mr. Grossman’s class. During this period, I was learning a lot about reconstruction and how African Americans were affected by the ending of reconstruction. Many of the things that I was learning appalled me because I did not know that things were so bad. We also touched on the different methods African Americans believed would grant them equal rights.

Before this, I never actually thought about the many different ways African Americans could have gotten their civil rights. The essay of W.E.B. Du Bois vs. Booker T. Washington gave me the opportunity to explore these ideas more. This essay also required me to take a side to whom I thought had the better idea. I knew that ultimately, W.E.B. Du Bois’ idea is what took African Americans to this point but i never wondered if another path had been chosen, if African Americans would be any closer to equality than they are now.

Looking at the ideas of Du Bois, to use political equality, and Washington, to accept segregation and gain economic independence, I thought that Du Bois was obviously the better idea. When I actually looked in depth, I realized that Washington’s idea made a lot of sense. Though to choose between, I would have to weigh the pros and cons of each.

With having the government by their side and enforcing racial equality, legally, African Americans would have equal rights. Yet people can break the law or create loopholes and if it is done on a large scale what much can the government do... With economic independence as Washington suggested, African Americans wouldn’t have to rely on whites, they would be able to build up their own communities, and lead their own lives. On the other hand, if this were to occur, it would actually cause a kind of city segregation and if economic independence was to be obtained, most likely, blacks would have to end up sharecropping or working under a white man which defeats the purpose.

- Richards, Asha Booker T. vs. W.E.B. Du Bois Essay

By this cause, I ultimately chose a combination of the two. Not only has this project opened my mind to the different aspects of reaching racial equality and the pros and cons of each idea, but it has taught me things that I can use for later research and arguments. It has taught me to look at two arguments and find the good and bad in both arguments to form a thesis.

If I could do this project over again, I would work a bit more on my conclusion and thesis. My introductory paragraph tells what the theme is but it does not have a sentence that explains it all. Also my conclusion is very weak.