HELP ASAP W. E. B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk (Chicago, 1903).
Mr. Washington asks that black people give up, at least for the present, 1 three things— First, political power; Second, insistence on civil rights; Third, higher education of Negro youth—and concentrate all their energies on industrial education, the accumulation of wealth, and the conciliation of the South. . . . What has been the return? . . .
1. The disfranchisement of the Negro.
2. The legal creation of a distinct status of civil inferiority for the Negro.
3. The steady withdrawal of aid from institutions for the higher training of the Negro.
These movements are not . . . direct results of Mr. Washington’s teachings; but his propaganda has, without a shadow of doubt, helped their speedier accomplishment. Is it possible . . . that [African Americans] can make economic progress if they are deprived of political rights and allowed only the most meager chance for developing their exceptional men? . . . [The] answer. . . is an emphatic No. . . .
So far as Mr. Washington apologizes for injustice, . . . does not value the privilege and duty of voting, . . . and opposes the higher training and ambition of our brighter minds, we must firmly oppose them. . . . We must strive for the rights . . . which the sons of the Fathers would fain forget: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

5. Based on this passage, what is Du Bois’s main critique of Washington’s approach to civil rights and education?

6. Reread the last paragraph. What is Du Bois saying about Washington’s emphasis on pursuing economic advancement for African Americans before
pushing for political or social equality?

7. Du Bois advocated a different approach to education for African Americans than did Washington. Where does this document provide evidence of these differences? Use quotations.

Reflection: Whose philosophy do you think was better for the advancement of African Americans at the time? Why? Is the debate between Washington and Du Bois relevant for civil rights issues today?