Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others: Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois - Essay Example

Washington proposes setting aside immediate demands for social and political equality in favor of a gradual end to social segregation in the future. Du Bois, a prominent academic and social activist, vehemently denies this ‘Atlanta Compromise,’ or “programme of industrial education, conciliation of the South, and submission and silence as to civil and political rights.” In his 1903 book, “The Souls of Black Folk,” from which this essay is taken, he asserts the right of American Negroes to economic participation, to the franchise and to genuine higher education. W.E.B. Du Bois successfully argues that the right to vote, civic equality and the right to higher education are crucial to achieve true equality for the American Negro.

Du Bois is right in his contention that political power is essential in any attempt to secure true equality for the American Negro. There can be no doubt “that voting is necessary to modern manhood” (Du Bois). Du Bois correctly interprets the acceptance of disenfranchisement as an acknowledgement of Negro inferiority and the acceptance of the degraded status of the Negro. By voluntarily giving up the right to vote, the American Negro signals his consent to “permanent legislation into a position of inferiority” (Du Bois).

There is no way for the Negro to bring about change if he does not have a voice in the political establishment. Self-assertion is the only way to usher in permanent change. The right to vote is the voice of self-assertion in a democracy. Du Bois criticizes Washington who “does not rightly value the privilege and duty of voting.” The power of the ballot in a democracy cannot be underestimated. By giving up the right to vote, the Negro is surrendering the only instrument with which he can assert his political identity.

Ultimate assimilation into an equalitarian society can happen only when every member of that society stands on equal footing in terms of political representation. Without the vote, the Negro can have no voice in the direction of the nation. The right to vote is inextricably linked to civic equality. Du Bois convincingly points out that the attainment of civic rights is the path to desegregation. By renouncing their demand for social equality, in line with Washington’s policy of compromise, American Negroes are essentially accepting “the alleged inferiority of the Negro races” (Du Bois).

This is too big a price to be paid for the prospect of immediate economic development. Du Bois gives a revealing insight into the North’s acceptance of Washington’s compromise: the North is in the process of investing heavily in Southern enterprises. Logically, this means that the North prioritizes cooperation on the economic front. By accepting this, the Negro encourages the North in “concentrating its energy on dollars” (Du Bois) and relenting on exerting moral pressure on the South to grant Negros civic rights.

The compromise provides the North an opportunity to “salve her conscience by plastering it with gold” (Du Bois). Du Bois asserts that Washington’s compromise “belittles the emasculating effects of caste distinctions.” The Negro’s refusal to insist on civic equality is equivalent to condoning race prejudice against Negroes. Du Bois links civic rights to self-respect and declares that this respect is worth more than any economic gains. Du Bois persuades the reader that higher education is a strong factor in the advancement of the American Negro.

This is supported by the tried and trusted fact that education is a stepping-stone to success for all sections of society