Question

What were the differing philosophies of W.E.B. Dubois, Booker T. Washington, and Marcus Garvey? What were the associations and institutions they were associated with?

Answer 1

Booker T. Washington was born a slave then went to an African-American elementary and high school. After graduating, he then became a teacher for African-American children. Washington was nominated to lead a new school in Alabama called the Tuskegee Institute. This school worked towards training African-American teachers, farmers, and labor workers. Due to his background, Booker T. Washington's philosophy was that African-Americans should focus on education, developing businesses and learning useful skills which would lead to equal civil and political rights. 

Opposed to Washington's views was W.E.B. DuBois. DuBois lived in Massachusetts and attended integrated schooling throughout his life. Through his post-graduate study, he deduced that African-Americans did not have good jobs because of white discrimination. Later DuBois became the editor for the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) journal, The Crisis. His philosophy was that African-Americans should not just accept segregation because it only encouraged the behavior to continue. DuBois wanted to take on segregation head on and not remain passive any longer.

Marcus Garvey was born in Jamaica and his philosophies were more aligned with Booker T. Washington's. He believed African-Americans could use their education to run black-owned companies as well as end colonies run by whites in Africa. Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and created Negro Journal as opposition to the NAACP's The Crisis. Garvey did not trust the NAACP or the black middle class. He encouraged African-Americans to return to Africa, even seeking financial assistance from the KKK.