Overview
This lecture reviews the philosophies and impacts of three major Black leaders—Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey, and W.E.B. Du Bois—on African American history and culture.
Booker T. Washington
- Born into slavery in Virginia, Washington valued education and self-improvement.
- Attended Hampton Institute and founded Tuskegee Institute in Alabama to train Black teachers and promote industrial and agricultural skills.
- Advocated gradualism, encouraging Black communities to advance through self-work and economic progress, not immediate integration or agitation.
- Famous for the Atlanta Compromise speech: "separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand" in essential matters.
- Emphasized property ownership, skill-building, and friendly relations with whites for racial reconciliation.
- Criticized by northern Black leaders, especially W.E.B. Du Bois, for allegedly accepting second-class citizenship.
Marcus Garvey
- Jamaican-born leader and founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).
- Promoted Black pride, economic independence, and the formation of an independent African nation ("Back to Africa" movement).
- Established the Black Star Line for economic ventures and communication.
- Advocated racial separatism and the idea of Black superiority.
- Criticized reliance on whites; stressed mental liberation and self-sufficiency.
- Movement declined after conviction for mail fraud and deportation.
W.E.B. Du Bois
- Born free in Massachusetts; first African American to earn a PhD from Harvard.
- Founded the NAACP and "The Crisis" magazine to fight for full civil and political rights.
- Believed in agitation and protest against racial injustice; led the Niagara Movement.
- Developed the "Talented Tenth" concept, advocating for the higher education of Black leaders.
- Criticized both Garvey's separatism and Washington's gradualism.
- Influenced by Marxist ideas, supporting socialism and criticizing capitalism as exploitative of Black labor.
- Eventually joined the Communist Party, moved to Ghana, and died there.
Comparison and Legacy
- Washington promoted accommodation and self-help; Garvey espoused Black nationalism; Du Bois emphasized protest and full equality.
- Washington and Garvey respected each other, but both disagreed with Du Bois.
- Du Bois's philosophy of agitation, protest, and political engagement has most influenced mainstream Black American activism and culture.
- Garvey’s ideas resurface in certain Black nationalist and pride movements.
- Washington's approach is viewed as less influential today, despite earlier successes.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Gradualism — The belief that social change should occur slowly through self-improvement and economic development.
- Atlanta Compromise — Washington's proposal for Black progress through vocational education and economic self-reliance, not immediate demands for equality.
- Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) — Garvey's organization promoting Black pride and independence.
- Talented Tenth — Du Bois’s idea that the top ten percent of Blacks should be educated to lead the community.
- NAACP — National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; civil rights organization founded by Du Bois.
- Pan-Africanism — The idea of unity and solidarity among people of African descent worldwide.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review key speeches: Atlanta Compromise (Washington), major addresses by Garvey and Du Bois.
- Read about the founding and philosophies of Tuskegee Institute, UNIA, and NAACP.
- Prepare to discuss the lasting influence of each leader’s philosophy on modern African American movements.