Civil War And Racial Equality

The debate between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois turned out to be one of the greatest intellectual as well as inspiring battles in our United States history. This great debate sparked the interest of African Americans and whites throughout the entire country. Both men had distinct views on how blacks should go about progressing politically, socially, as well as financially here in the United States. Both Du Bois and Washington wanted African-Americans to have the same rights as white Americans; But Du Bois encouraged African-Americans to demand equal rights, while Washington, on the other hand, often ignored discrimination. He believed that it was important for blacks to develop

W. E. B. Dubois and Booker T. Washington were well known civil rights activists who had practical ideologies for the progress of African Americans. Both Dubois and Washington made many important points to support their philosophy. Both men’s concepts provided great support, though they shared different beliefs. Washington believed that blacks should focus on education and economic progress than ending segregation, discrimination and getting voting rights; on the other hand, Dubois thought that discrimination was unacceptable and did not agree on blacks losing their rights in spite of their differences, they both were well educated men who wanted change in the black community.

In the late 19th and 20th century, African Americans were going through hardships. At this period of time, they wanted improvement and wanted to be treated equality but no one had the political background to fight with the Whites. However, two great leaders named Booker Washington and W.E.B Du Bois took the stance and fought for improvement. But, even though they had the goals, they had different strategies for the community.

The American Civil War was the deadliest warfare in American history soil; leaving approximately 620 thousand dead and over 300 thousand wounded. One would ask, who or what was the massive roles that played? During the nineteenth century, as the newborn nation, United States used racial identity, such as slaves or free blacks, and firearms were involved in the Civil War. I believe through this research paper, my learning from my K-12 schooling has not change significantly.

At the early turn of the 20th Century United States, there was a large debate about how the average American viewed African Americans or Negroes. As a result, white consensus geared toward putting Africans in a type of caste system, where they would consider below whites, women, and immigrants. By this point, most African Americans were just conforming to this way of life and did not seek to change this. While this occurred, many intellectual black men sought to change how society treated African Americans. At the forefront of the respected intellectual was W.E.B. Dubois who sought to shake the foundation of caste and the Harvard professor by the name of Booker T. Washington who wanted to fight within the caste system. Both men had the right idea and the same end goal, which being the enhanced rights of blacks, but by how this would be different. The point of view that has a more grounded argument is W.E.B. Dubois; as seen in how Dubois talks on the basis of fighting the disenfranchisement of political power of African-Americans, against forfeiting civil rights and working toward the equality of a higher education for Negroes.

“We know the road to freedom has always been stalked to death”,Angela Davis .This quote speaks for the journey that the African American community has dealt with and is still going through today. So what is equality? Equality is the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. The nineteenth century was a time of movement and complete transformation in political and legal status of African Americans.The Years right before 1920 was a hard era for African Americans , during this time it was a period of radical hatred towards blacks. There were groups such as the Klu Klux Klan who terrorized blacks,and there were constant riots between the blacks and whites. There were two influential people at this time Booker T Washington and W.E.B Du Bois who influenced many people's views on different ways to come about getting equality among the blacks. Some people sided with Washington's views which were that blacks don't need to directly fight because that leads to more violence so they should become more educated ,or sided with Du Bois who believed that blacks needed to take firm actions to protest illegal actions and murders.The similarities and differences between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois are distinct and they deserved to be investigated.

Even after the abolishment of slavery, African - Americans fought for their equal rights and opportunities. When slavery ended radical discrimination has became big obstacle, only a few found the courage to speak out on their beliefs for a new change. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois both share a few commonalities; expressing strong opposition against segregation, and a massive amount of education. W.E.B Dubois and Booker T. Washington were two very influential leaders in the black community during the late 19th century. They were both well-educated African- Americans; who wanted justice and equal rights for African – Americans. But they both had different points of view on economic and improvement of social standing for blacks. W.E.B Du Bois argued that Africans- Americans deserved the same rights as whites and they should not have to sacrifice their constitutional rights in order to achieve a status that they already deserved. On the other hand Booker T. Washington believed that blacks has to gradually work their way from the bottom to the top, achieve positions of power and responsibility, and then demand their rights for equal citizenship. Du Bois’s argument is more effective because every person deserves to be treated equally whether they have an education or not. WEB Du Bois had a better method of achieving his goal, because it didn’t give whites any type of power.

One of the primary differences between DuBois and Washington was in the ways they believed equality would be achieved. DuBois believed that political change was the first step in achieving equality. If the black populous worked on economy only then they would perpetuate the stereotypes that white people place upon them. By accepting racist and prejudicial viewpoints, the African American communities were affirming their inferiority to the white majority. Only through political equality, for example the right to vote, could men enact any real or meaningful social and

There were two men black men who were compelled to strive for equality between blacks and whites, those men were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois and both had there own different approaches.

Racism is an issue that has plagued in country from the day it was declared the

In 1865, when the civil war ended in America and slavery was abolished, the African American population in the South faced many challenges related to their new found freedom. Following the post-Civil War Reconstruction period, white supremacy resurfaced in the South (A&E Television, 2015). Beginning in the early 1900s through 1970 there was a mass exodus of African American 's from South to North America. Although some African American 's were known to have moved from the South as early as 1850, there were two major waves during the 1900s (A&E, 2015; Gates, Jr., 2013).

Post-Civil War, Northern women became increasingly active in the Black-suffrage movements in the North. They strategized that by enforcing the right of suffrage for African-Americans they would automatically receive the right to vote. Their calculations were based off of the hierarchal rules implied by the Jim Crow South. During the Jim Crow Era, segregationists feared that reconstruction would mess with the inherent order of their society by making Black men equal to White men and beneath them allowing Black women to be equal to White women. Their restoration period stressed that the gender/racial hierarchy be preserved as follows: White men, White women, Black men, and then Black women. The Northern women assumed that there was no way they would give Black men the right to vote without giving White women the right to vote first, since they were higher up on Jim Crow’s hierarchy. However, their initial plan was unfeasible due to mutual disagreement amongst men in regards to women’s suffrage. Even the radical men believed that supporting women’s suffrage was pushing things too far and risked the nullification of the fourteenth amendment. Regardless of, they pushed for its ratification.

Two great leaders in the late 19th and 20th century of the black community were W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Even after of slavery, African Americans fought for their equal rights and opportunities. During the time of unfair treatments, few people found the courage to speak out on their beliefs for a change. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois regularly coherent their opinions and stand for what they believe is right. However, they sharply disagreed on strategies for black social and economic progress. Their opposing personality, philosophies, and legacy can be found in much of today 's discussions over how to end class and racial injustice.

1 April 30, 1866, four police officers encountered several blacks walking on Causey Street in Memphis, Tennessee. The officers forced the blacks off the sidewalk; one black stumbled and fell tripping an officer. The Police then drew their pistols and began to beat the blacks. The riot started the next day, when police officers attempted to arrest two former black soldiers. 2 It is said that nearly fifty blacks attempted to prevent the officer from jailing the ex-soldiers. “Accounts vary as to who began the shooting, but the altercation that ensued quickly involved more and more of the city.” White rioters burned a Freedmen’s schoolhouses, black homes, and even churches. May 3rd marked the end of the riots, Forty-six blacks died, and 285 people were injured. “Over one hundred houses and buildings burned down as a result of the riot and the neglect of the firemen.”

Booker T. Washington’s opinion on social equality was flagrantly different than Dubois’s opinion. Booker T. Washington was a former slave, so naturally I feel he was a fairly passive individual, yet very intelligent. But in respect to social equality, Washington felt equality was superfluous. As Washington explains in Atlantic Exposition Address, that he was called to deliver on behave of the Negro race. Washington fosters: