William Edward Burgardt : African American Leading Sociologist, Writer, And Activist Essay

The time period of 1877 to 1915 was a period in history when the people of the Black race were being granted a free status, but equality, on the other hand, was not an option to some higher white officials. During this time period, many leaders started to fight for what they believed in by appealing to the white governing body for social equality. Two of the leaders that came out of that uproar were the well-known Black equality activists of that time, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. Both of these leaders ultimately had the same goal, however, the paths that they took to achieve

William Edward Burghardt Dubois was the first African-American to earn a doctorate and lived Atlanta Georgia. He was civil rights activist and historian. In 1903 he wrote The Souls of Black Folk where he disagreed with Washington because he felt the color-line was performing a disservice to the black population. While Dubois acknowledges him as, “a compromiser between the South, the North, and the Negro” : he also said,” Mr. Washington is especially to be criticized.” Dubois believed the exact opposite of Washington, he said, “Such men feel in conscience bound to ask of this nation

W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington were two very influential leaders in the black community during the late 19th century, early 20th century. However, they both had different views on improvement of social and economic standing for blacks. Booker T. Washington, an ex-slave, put into practice his educational ideas at Tuskegee, which opened in 1881. Washington stressed patience, manual training, and hard work. He believed that blacks should go to school, learn skills, and work their way up the ladder. Washington also urged blacks to accept racial discrimination for the time being, and once they worked their way up, they would gain the respect of whites and be fully accepted as citizens. W.E.B. Du Bois on the other hand, wanted a more

Because of these actions and different techniques, society divided into those who advocated Du Bois and those who advocated Washington. However, Du Bois gained less support than Booker T. Washington because Washington’s viewpoint was promoted by much of the white population. Therefore consequence of this support was that Washington’s approaches to gain full citizenship was more suitable than Du Bois’ policies.

Lastly, Du Bois and Washington's individual experiences are historical in the fight for black equality. The two men both lived very fulfilling lives dedicated to their life work of the black cause. Washington began his educational career at the age of 16 at the Hampton Institute while performing janitorial duties to pay his board. After graduating he returned back to West Virginia and taught adults and children. He then went away to study at the Wayland Seminary in Washington D.C. where upon his completion joined the staff at the Hampton Institute. Years later in 1881 he was asked to be the president of the Tuskegee Institution which promoted literacy among freed blacks. Here began the monument of his life work, for the rest of his days would be spent supporting the school. Then, the year 1895 marked a turning point in his life when he gave the Atlanta Compromise Address speech that would outline his beliefs for the rest of his days. Furthermore, in 1900 with help from T. Thomas Fortune the creation of the National Negro Business League happened with Washington the first president. He even accepts and invitation by Andrew Garrison to go to Europe and preach his words of wisdom. The book ends with a speech before a mixed crowd of black and white to the City Council of Richmond, Virginia, and Washington never feeling more hopeful for the African-American race. Like

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, labeled as a radical, had a solid idea for African American progression called the "Talented Tenth". In his essay called The Talented Tenth he mentioned, "The negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men". Du Bois believed that if a small group of black persons attained college educations they will be leaders of the race and encourage the rest to do the same and reach a higher level of education. Du Bois stated, "If this be true—and who can deny it—three tasks lay before me; first to show from the past that the Talented Tenth as they have risen among American Negroes have been worthy of leadership; secondly; to show how these men may be educated and developed; and thirdly, to show their relation to the Negro problem". Du Bois believed on contrary to Booker T. Washington that if you wanted something accomplished you go right at it. Taking a shot at Washington 's theory he claimed, "This is an age of unusual economic development, and Mr. Washington 's programme naturally takes an economic cast, becoming a gospel of Work and Money to such an extent as

Booker T. Washington rose up from slavery and illiteracy to become the foremost educator and leader of black Americans at the turn of the century. He was born on April 5, 1856 in Franklin County, Virginia. As a child he worked in the salt mines but always found time for education. Washington constantly dreamed of college but as an African American this dream was nearly impossible. His scrupulous working habits from the mines set him out for college at the Hampton Institute. He graduated in 1876 and became a teacher at a rural school. After 2 years of teaching, he went back to the Hampton Institute and was a “professor” here for 2 more years. His next challenge would be at a new all black college, Tuskegee Institute where he would become president. Under Washington's leadership (1881-1915), Tuskegee Institute became an important force in black education. Washington won a Harvard honorary degree in 1891.

Booker T. Washington was born, into slavery, on April 5th, 1856 in Hale’s Ford, Virginia. He was nine years old when his family was emancipated, and they moved to West Virginia. It wasn’t until after he moved that he began to receive an education. He eventually graduated from the Hampton Institute; he worked through the time he was in school in order to pay for his education. He went on to later become the leader of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama – a position he held until the day he died. He made huge contributions in the African-American community, and was one of their strongest leaders in the fight for their rights. He advocated strongly for the right to education and for social issues.

•William Edward Burghardt known as “W. E. B. Du Bois" was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, author, and editor.

Booker T. Washington founded Tuskegee University. Even though Washington was a former slave, he was against race-bating. Washington believed that all race baiting did was promote discord in the black community. Alfonzo stated that Michelle is pro-black, but the black community

Although Garvey is heralded as such as strong figure in the improvement of social issues in this period, many other activists took different approaches. For example Washington was an important figure who believed the best interests of African Americans could be realised through education in the crafts and industrial skills. To implement this he founded the Tuskegee school, which had over 100

W.E.B. Du Bois is considered one of the top five people of the twentieth century. He is an intellectual, who is admired by both his supporters and adversaries. Du Bois, in his essay, tells his audience that he is not only a genius among blacks, but he is also a revered scholar of humankind. He is well educated among prestigious universities such as Fisk, Harvard, and Heidelberg, and is the first African American to earn a Ph.D. degree from Harvard University. Mr. Du Bois is not a meager intellectual, whose intelligence is measured by the capacity of his knowledge, but he also uses his knowledge to fight for the equality of his people. Among the different identities of Du Bois, he is also the founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). As a reader, one interprets that Du Bois' essay is an authentic narration of the life of African Americans. Du Bois uses context from his point of view as a free man; therefore, his words are less biased than his counterparts. He allows the readers to freely establish their own perspective on the problem of the color people by giving them the chance to see the lives of African Americans before the Civil War through Reconstruction. Du Bois also uses historical references, case studies, and personal storytelling examples to define the problem of the people of African heritage in the United States. The first chapters of The Souls of Black Folk contain historically relevant material,

There comes a point and time in history when certain individuals excel and stand out above their peers. They fight for humanity and justice as if the hope for tomorrow has started to slip away. They personally take blame and are ridiculed for their beliefs but this does not hamper their efforts as it only gives them more ambition to be heard. As you will see in this paper there is one individual that not only stood for human rights but he stood for a culture that has been repressed for centuries. Born on February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts William Edward Burghardt Du Bois’s official job titles were to include educator, civil rights activist and journalist (Bolden, 2008). He was known as a social reformer to the psychology

W.E.B Du Bois was born as William Edward Burghardt Du Bois on February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. His parents were Alfred Du Bois and Mary Du Bois who were a part of a free population of African Americans who also owned their own land for a long period of time. Du Bois’ mother died in 1885 when he was seventeen years old. As a child Du Bois attended an integrated school where there was a majority of European American students. Du Bois’ teachers encouraged him in his studies and academic pursuits. Du Bois attended Seamless High School and when he decided to attend college the congregation of his childhood church raised money for him to attend school. In 1885 Du Bois moved to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Fisk University a historically Black college. In 1888 Du Bois graduated from Fisk University. In 1888 Du Bois attended Harvard University but could not have his credits from Fisk University transfer over since Harvard did not recognize Fisk as a respectable college. In 1890 Du Bois earned his second bachelor’s degree cum laude in history from Harvard University. In 1892 Du Bois attended the University of Berlin. In 1895 Du Bois became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He then went to take a teaching position at Wilberforce University in Ohio after rejecting an offer to teach at Tuskegee Institute. The most likely reason why Du Bois rejected this offer was due to his opposition to Tuskegee’s founder Booker T. Washington’s Atlanta Compromise which started a feud between the two African American leaders. On May 12, of 1896 Du Bois married

    William Edward Burghardt "W. E. B." Du Bois was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, author, writer and editor. He is an important figure in both African American history and in American Literature, who is widely recognized for his pursuit of social justice and literary imagination. He was influenced to write The Souls of Black Folk, a non-fiction seminal work in the history of sociology, in 1903 in order to explain the problem of the Twentieth Century, the color-line. This is the backbone of the book, the core of it’s charm, and what makes it an important American Literature book under the realist paradigm.