The Importance Of Liberal Arts Education

During the 19th and 20th century African Americans faced Discrimination in the United States. Three African Americans took roles of leadership and began trying to uplift the lives of blacks in society. Those who took control of this movement were Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey and W.E.B Dubois. These activists wanted the same result and implemented different techniques to follow their similar hopes for blacks in America. Each of these leaders has allowed America to develop in extensive ways for several years and those yet to come. Alternate pathways were taken by each leader to resolve the overall issue of racism. These issues include things such as not having the right to vote,own property and prevent lynchings. This paper will argue that had Garvey's theory of the new negro and Dubois’ ideas of education been implemented, racism in America would have been reduced because the allocation of education would allow for their to become a new negro. The application of Marcus Garvey's theory including thoughts of W.E.B Dubois’ on racism would have brought white power to an end.

DuBois and Malcolm differ in their essentials pertaining to the “reeducation” of African Americans. DuBois argues traditional education as essential because it provides people of color a voice with which to protest and is the key to ultimately gaining success. He argues education will help lead racial progress in America, and he proves this by presenting statistical data on the career trajectory of black men who have received higher education.

Dawning the year of 1895, the future of Black America finally rested in the hands of the very people to whom it concerned, the black community. Two popular philosophies were presented, and the argument between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois began. These two advocated for very different means of acquiring equality, Washington promotes the economic survival of the masses while Dubois promoted the superior intelligence of the few. The struggle between representing the masses and isolating the few proved to be the deciding factor when determining which philosophy was capable of supporting the desired future of Black America. A future where the economic foundation of the masses proved to be the key to promoting equality among white and black America.

The American Negro Academy, the first Black intellectual society, started the trend of establishing Black elitist groups who valued higher education. Unlike Booker T. Washington, Crummell’s Academy taught others that the race should learn self-sufficiency, not relying on social inclusion from Whites. He understood that Whites and Blacks would probably never peacefully coincide because the “race-problem” encompassed all of American history. In fact, the growth of Black and White populations would only continue to cultivate the problem.

This specific work by Du Bois redefines Civil Rights as it inspires the future of the Civil Rights Movement and activists, and calls on blacks to demand the same rights and opportunities(for education) as their white counterparts. While writings like Du Bois' stood as important pieces in the positive redefining of Civil Rights, progression of Civil Rights for black Americans was heavily impacted by the altering of the constitutional meaning behind “separate but equal” (Document 8). Plessy v. Ferguson was a 1896 Supreme Court case that concluded that the separation of races did not imply inferiority. This ideal stood until 1954 the concept of “separate but equal” arose in the decision of Brown v. Board of Education. Eventually, the court decided that “in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place [and] separate educational facilities are inherently unequal” (Document 8).

Critical thinking means to think correctly in to find knowledge that is relevant and reliable. In terms of a liberal arts education critical thinking is crucial because a liberal arts education teaches students skills that are needed in the rapidly changing world that usually requires a lifetime of self-learning and understanding. Critical thinking is something that people usually must learn on their own; however, as a liberal arts school it is taught, so we have a better understanding of thinking critically.

Alfred H. Kelly, author of “The School Desegregation Case,” begins his account of the journey the NAACP lawyers took to succeed in Brown v. Board of Education of the City of Topeka, with the minor but evident improvement of the political and economic status acquired by Blacks since the passing of the 14th and 15th Amendments. Blacks increasingly became more influential; fighting to escape the “inferior status” of a stranded “ex-slave” and progressing towards the “genuine integration of the Negro into the social, economic, and political fabric of American life” (Kelly 245-6). Such improvements between the Plessy and Brown cases enabled the victory of desegregation for the revolutionary NAACP lawyers. Political influence expanded for Blacks who made up an “elite” of professional individuals in large cities in the North. The power to vote and their “alliances with local urban political machines” gave them some input on local decisions and later on a more national scale under FDR’s New Deal. A wave of “jobs, pay ratings, union memberships” and intensified acknowledgements of “the cold realities of American racial segregation,” extended the economic power available to Blacks during WWII (Kelly 247). The “altered position of the Negro in America;” from neglected and helpless individuals, to influential “lawyers, doctors, schoolteachers, social workers, [and] ministers,” was necessary for the social, economic and political power earned

There have been various tactics that southern whites used to slow down this educational progress. First, White communities would not hire African-American teachers, despite meeting the required credentials. Du Bois faced this firsthand when he was searching for a job in Tennessee. He would walk, because horses were too expensive, many miles asking schools ‘Got a teacher? Yes.’ The difficulty of being accepted into schools is another reason behind the uneducated African-American. Some schools would deny students based on the color of their skin. For example, Alexander Crummell was an African-American who sought an education from the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church. He would be rejected admission; but, the rejection did not deter him from his goal of obtaining an education. He would eventually own “his own chapel in Providence, a priest of the Church.” The experience of him being rejected created a man that would not complain of America’s standards. Instead, he would use the rejection to inspire the young, unwilling, and uneducated

Martin Luther King Junior said, “Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” Higher education does not exist for the sole purpose of preparing students for future jobs; it’s there in order to prepare individuals for life where they are expected to participate in their community, their government, and the lives of those around them. Liberal arts, in particular, exist for the broadening of students’ minds in order for them to be successful not only in their chosen career but also in their lives outside of it. Liberal arts lost their past popularity during the last few decades, but they shouldn’t be disregarded in favor of technical and professional degrees because they still provide students with skills that are perhaps less tangible, but no less necessary for life in modern world.

Racial discrimination, political, social and economic inequality during the late 19th century and early 20th century led various leaders within the black community to rise up and address the appalling circumstances that African Americans were forced to endure. Among these leaders were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois whom possessed analogous desires as it pertained to the advancement and upliftment of the black race. While both individuals were fighting for the same cause and purpose they embraced contrary ideologies and approaches to African American struggle. In Booker T. Washington’s book “Up from Slavery” African Americans were encouraged to be passive and focus on vocational education whereas in W.E.B. DuBois book “The Souls of Black Folk”, African Americans were encouraged to fight for their merited rights and focus on academic education. However, although Washington was convinced that his ideologies would sincerely uplift the black race, they actually proved to be detrimental, leaving DuBois ideology to be the most reasonable and appropriate solution for the advancement of the black race.

The black freedom struggle has not yet come to an end – there are still prejudiced and racist radicals that try to negotiate white supremacy and dominance in order to prevent the blacks from their long wait for equality. Consequently, the movement has progressed very sluggishly in the past few centuries. Nevertheless, the campaign for equal rights has led to the triumph over slavery and has led to the accrual of suffrage rights. However, this is still not enough, not after centuries of enslavement, lynching, segregation, and discrimination. Oftentimes, there is still no justice in court houses, especially when black people are accused and convicted, even for the simplest of crimes – as compared to the white and powerful who are charged for heinous misconducts and get away scratch free. Hence, throughout the period of the Blacks’ long fight for freedom and equality, several Black intellectuals have come front with ideas that could administer better treatment for their people. A good strategy to encourage the black populace to fight for their freedom and their rights is by inverting popular ideas so that there is a clear distinction between the reasonable and unreasonable notions of equality and justice. Thus, it was not uncommon for these literati to undermine dominant discourses in order to bolster their own analyses. Among the discussed black intellectuals who inverted prevailing dissertations, three that stood out the most are Frederick Douglass, Anna Julia Cooper, and

Liberal Arts are academic subjects such as literature, philosophy, mathematics, and social and physical sciences as distinct from professional and technical subjects. This approach to education provides students with specialized ability in a chosen major as well as builds a foundation of skills and knowledge that can be applied among many career paths and academic pursuits. Employers value the ability to solve problems, adapt to change, work across disciplines, and collaborate with others, which are distinctive tenants acquired when you pursue a major in liberal arts. Clearly, all successful careers require critical thinking, teamwork, sensitivity to cultural, demographic, economic and societal differences and political perspectives. A

Should education be a liberal education or should it be more focused on vocational issues? A liberal education is a system in which education is acceptable for a free human being. It’s based on the medieval concept of liberalism of the Age of Enlightenment. It was once described as a philosophy of education that empowers individuals with more knowledge and transferable skills, and a stronger sense of values, ethics and civic unity. A vocational education is an education that refers to a system or course of study where you are being prepared for jobs that are focused on manual or practical activities. It also non-academic and is related to a specific trade and/or occupation.

To be a productive global citizen one must grow intellectually and the most effective way to accomplish this is to procure a liberal education. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistic, in October of 2016 2.2 million youth ages 16 - 24 enrolled in college (BLS, 2017, P. 1). These students no matter their chosen major will be well versed in an array of subjects thanks to general education requirements. The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) defines a liberal education as an education that “intentionally fosters, across multiple fields of study, wide ranging knowledge of science, cultures, and society; high level intellectual and practical skills, an active commitment to personal and social responsibility, and the demonstrated ability to apply learning to complex problems and challenges” (AAC&U, 2007, p. 4). For this paper I will be focusing on how a Liberal education is invaluable to those attaining a baccalaureate in a science, specifically nursing. This paper will discuss: i Why I chose to pursue a liberal education. ii The value a liberal education has for me and for my future nursing practice. And finally iii I will explain what autonomy means to me and my future nursing practice.

Some have recently argued that a liberal education, as opposed to a vocational education, is a waste of time, money and effort because so much of these are spent on the pursuit of knowledge not at all relevant to the chosen major. As Bob Newman of Paradigm Media states, "We all know that career colleges and trade schools get a bad rep in the education industry. For many, they’re viewed as the “other option” or Plan B. What surprises me about these stereotypes is that the data available shows that career/trade school grads can make way more in the long run than students with a Bachelors or even Masters degree.” The common consensus is that college is a mere ticket to the corporate world of high pay, early retirement jobs. If this is