Black History 101

Washington, Carver & Du Bois

Freedom was met with prejudice for most African Americans. Segregation became an ugly obstacle to overcome. A few African Americans found ways to survive this new world and prosper. They inspired and led the way for their fellow freed African Americans. Others sought to fight back against the growing racism—Jim Crow segregation laws, riots, lynching, etc. Their efforts took different paths, but all of them had a great desire for the progress of the African Americans. 

Booker T. Washington was a freed slave and had written about his life in Up From Slavery. He sought to help blacks through education. He thought that by learning new trades in fields such as farming and mechanics, African Americans would be able to earn a living and eventually become part of white society. He organized the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, a school dedicated to help African Americans achieve these goals. His hopes were that this would open doors for African Americans without civil uprising or political upheaval. 

George Washington Carver helped Southern farmers revitalize the South’s agricultural economy. In 1896, he joined Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee and became the institute’s director of agricultural research. One of the problems Southern farmers faced was the depleted soil from the cotton crops. Carver steered the South towards peanuts, soybeans, and sweet potatoes. Both peanuts and soybeans helped to replace the nitrogen levels in the soil. Carver also helped develop different products out of peanuts and sweet potatoes helping to create a market for them. By 1940 peanuts became the second largest cash crop of the South. He worked to serve and led by example. He received many honors for his efforts. His influence was far reaching. 

W.E.B. Du Bois saw the need to take a more aggressive approach to finding equality and help the conditions for the African Americans. He sought to start a new movement for African Americans that directly opposed Booker T. Washington’s principles. Du Bois saw Washington’s plan as too accommodating and too passive. One of his biggest achievements was his contribution in starting the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and editing The Crisis, the NAACP’s magazine. Later Du Bois left the NAACP and The Crisis. His views became increasingly separate from the middle class African American. His views started to sympathize with socialism and communism. Du Bois was indicted and eventually acquitted for his connections with Russia. He left the United States to move to Ghana and in 1961 joined the Communist Party. All ties were severed with America a year later, when Du Bois renounced his citizenship.

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