African American Education Analysis

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Introduction Using the works of Booker T. Washington, James D. Anderson, and W. E. Du Bois, my argument and analysis will focus on the prevalent themes in African American education. These themes include changes throughout the antebellum period and into post-Reconstruction, views of African American leaders in education, and the development of public schooling in the South for blacks. Although the writings from the above authors all tie into the same topic, African American education, each author holds a different viewpoint, which makes the analysis have more depth. Reconstructing Schools in the South Although African American education started to become noticed in the South, they were not given the quality of education that white students…show more content…
Washington (1903). He opposes Washington by saying that his views are medieval and makes the black race seem incapable. I side with Du Bois in that Washington’s economic and racist perspective is not a progressive way for African Americans to be educated. Instead of giving up their political power and skilled labor potential, Du Bois proposed that educational institutions teach blacks to earn a living and build character. (pg. 56) Du Bois emphasized that blacks cannot advance in the economy without having political rights. The training of not only students, but of black teachers makes the black public school possible. In this modern African American education, the need for college-educated blacks was at a high. Du Bois makes a fantastic point that if you do not lift up your society as a whole, which includes all races, then they will ultimately pull you down. Education and equality is a pathway to advancing the American people, and work alone will not accomplish this. He supports the black leader’s resilience to constantly remind the nation that they deserve an equal opportunity to succeed in American…show more content…
Although this should’ve opened more opportunity for skilled labor, Southern hostility and white preference in the North prevented most from landing these jobs. To try and change these perspectives, black leaders made a point to try and “uplift” their race. This meant showing good character, intellect, and behavior. I side with the African American leaders on the topic of earning the respect of the white supremacy through education. If it’s possible to further the black race through intellect, then it will be harder for whites to deceive them. When I say deceive, I mean that white plantation owners used to make contracts very hard for blacks to understand. However, if they were fluently literate and could understand basic math, they would be better off in standing up to their
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