“Atlanta Exposition Address” (1895) by Booker T. Washington

“W.E.B. DuBois Denounces Washington’s Accommodationist Policies” (1903)

Questions comparing both selections:

Washington says that the “wisest” African Americans realize that asking for and agitating for civil equality is “folly.” How does he justify that statement? DuBois argues that the North was weary of the “race problem” in the South. Based on what we have covered in class, how are both of these positions connected to changes in the Republican Party?
DuBois asks if African American men can really be successful if they are deprived of their civil and political rights. Washington argues that they must earn those rights. Who makes the most compelling argument? Explain why you came to that conclusion.
DuBois says that some African Americans think the only hope of equality is to leave the United States. Washington argues that the best hope for equality is to cooperate or accommodate with whites. Which do you think is the more radical position? Can leaving the US be seen as “selling out” or “giving up?” Is staying and trying to get along until whites finally recognize the rights of African Americans likely to be more successful?