Read primary and secondary sources to gather information about Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois.
Take notes on each source. Record facts and details about each leader’s response to the discrimination faced by African Americans and his goals for improving conditions.
Use a Venn diagram to identify similarities and differences in the two men’s viewpoints.
Select a structure for your compare-and-contrast essay, such as a Block Pattern or Point-by-Point Pattern. Outline the points you will cover in your writing and develop a thesis statement. See the example below.
Write a short essay that compares and contrasts the responses to discrimination and goals for improvement stated by Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois. Support your ideas with facts and details from the primary and secondary sources you analyzed. Include transition words and phrases to clarify the relationships between your ideas. Submit your essay in a word-processing document.
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois were two prominent African American leaders who fought against discrimination and sought to improve conditions for African Americans in the United States. By analyzing primary and secondary sources about both men, we can gain insight into their responses to discrimination and their goals for improvement. Using a Venn diagram, we can identify similarities and differences in their viewpoints. Based on this analysis, we can then structure our compare-and-contrast essay using a Block Pattern or Point-by-Point Pattern.
Booker T. Washington was born into slavery and experienced firsthand the harsh realities of discrimination. In his famous speech, the "Atlanta Compromise," he advocated for African Americans to focus on vocational education and economic progress. Washington believed that by gaining skills and proving their worth in the workforce, African Americans could gradually gain acceptance and equality in society. He saw education and economic success as the key to improving conditions for his people.
W.E.B. Du Bois, on the other hand, was born in a freer environment and had the opportunity to pursue higher education. He strongly believed in political and intellectual equality for African Americans. Du Bois advocated for protest and active resistance against discrimination. He argued that African Americans should fight for their rights and demand immediate social and political change. Du Bois also emphasized the importance of education, but his focus was on liberal arts education and racial pride rather than vocational training.
In terms of similarities, both Washington and Du Bois recognized the need for educational opportunities for African Americans. They both believed that education played a crucial role in improving conditions and gaining equality. Additionally, both leaders aimed to improve conditions for African Americans and reduce discrimination. However, their approaches to achieving these goals differed significantly.
In our compare-and-contrast essay, we will use a Point-by-Point Pattern. This structure allows for a detailed examination of the similarities and differences between Washington and Du Bois. The points we will cover in our essay are as follows:
1. Background and experiences: We will provide a brief overview of each leader's background and the experiences that shaped their perspectives on discrimination and improvement.
2. Responses to discrimination: We will highlight Washington's emphasis on economic progress and vocational education, and compare it to Du Bois's emphasis on political equality and activism.
3. Goals for improvement: We will discuss Washington's goal of gradually gaining acceptance and equality through economic success, and compare it to Du Bois's goal of immediate social and political change.
4. Education as a means of improvement: We will explore how both leaders recognized the importance of education, but had different views on the type of education that would best serve their people.
5. Legacy and impact: We will examine the lasting influence of Washington and Du Bois on the civil rights movement and their contributions to improving conditions for African Americans.
Our thesis statement for the essay could be: Although Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois both sought to improve conditions for African Americans and recognized the importance of education, they had different views on how to respond to discrimination and achieve equality.
By analyzing primary and secondary sources and using a Venn diagram, we can gain a comprehensive understanding of the responses and goals of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois. This will allow us to write a well-structured compare-and-contrast essay that supports our ideas with facts and details from the sources we analyzed. We will use transition words and phrases to clarify the relationships between our ideas and present a cohesive and logical argument.