Booker T. Washington
Definition
Booker T. Washington was an influential African American educator and leader in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He advocated for vocational education for African Americans as a means to improve their economic status, while not directly challenging segregation.
Analogy
Think of Booker T. Washington like a coach who believes in training his team with basic skills before entering into big leagues. He believed that economic self-reliance would eventually lead to racial equality.
Related terms
Tuskegee Institute: An educational institution founded by Booker T. Washington which focused on teaching practical job skills to African Americans.
W.E.B Du Bois: A contemporary of Booker T. Washington who disagreed with his approach, advocating instead for immediate civil rights and higher education for African Americans.
Atlanta Compromise: An agreement struck in 1895 where Southern black leaders (like Booker T. Washington) vowed to submit to white political rule, while Southern whites guaranteed that blacks would receive basic education and due process in law.
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Practice Questions (4)
Which of the following best compares the views of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois on how to achieve racial equality in the United States?
Booker T. Washington would have agreed with which of the following statements?
Why did W.E.B. Du Bois not support the ideas of Booker T. Washington?
How did W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington differ in their approach to racial equality during the Progressive Era?
Resources
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