The Souls of Black Folk · Chapter
Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others explained
This chapter critically examines the ascendancy of Booker T.
What happens
This chapter critically examines the ascendancy of Booker T. Washington as the leading spokesman for African Americans after 1876. Du Bois outlines Washington's program of industrial education, conciliation of the South, and submission on civil and political rights, and analyzes its consequences: disfranchisement, legal inferiority, and reduced support for higher education. He presents a triple paradox in Washington's position and contrasts it with the attitudes of those who advocate revolt or emigration. Du Bois argues that the burden of the Negro problem belongs to the nation, not solely to Black people, and calls for unceasing opposition to injustice while supporting thrift, patience, and industrial training for the masses.
Themes in this chapter
Education and Leadership
Du Bois critiques Washington's emphasis on industrial education at the expense of higher learning, arguing that Black colleges are essential for training teachers and leaders.
Economic Oppression
The chapter examines Washington's gospel of Work and Money and questions whether economic progress is possible without political rights and civil equality.
Emancipation and Disappointment
Du Bois describes the post-Reconstruction era as a time when war memories faded and the nation turned away from the ideals of emancipation.
The Color Line
The chapter addresses the intensification of race prejudice and the legal creation of a distinct status of civil inferiority for Black Americans.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Provides critical analysis of Booker T. Washington's leadership and program.
- Booker T. Washington
Central figure of the chapter; his program of industrial education, conciliation, and submission is examined and critiqued.
- Alexander Crummell
Mentioned in the context of earlier figures who sought honorable alliance with Southerners.
- Denmark Vesey
Cited as part of the spiritual lineage of those who represent revolt and revenge.
- Nat Turner
Cited as part of the spiritual lineage of those who represent revolt and revenge.
- Frederick Douglass
Mentioned in the context of earlier Black leaders who demanded full rights.
Key passages
“Mr. Washington represents in Negro thought the old attitude of adjustment and submission; but adjustment at such a peculiar time as to make his programme unique.”
Washington embodies a traditional stance of accommodation, yet the historical moment makes his approach distinct.
Du Bois frames Washington's program as a novel form of submission suited to the post-Reconstruction era.
“Mr. Washington distinctly asks that black people give up, at least for the present, three things— First, political power, Second, insistence on civil rights, Third, higher education of Negro youth— and concentrate all their energies on industrial education, and accumulation of wealth, and the conciliation of the South.”
Washington demands that African Americans temporarily sacrifice political power, civil rights, and higher education in favor of industrial training, wealth-building, and appeasing the South.
Du Bois lists the core concessions of Washington's program.
“In these years there have occurred: The disfranchisement of the Negro. The legal creation of a distinct status of civil inferiority for the Negro. The steady withdrawal of aid from institutions for the higher training of the Negro.”
Since Washington's rise, Black people have lost the vote, been legally relegated to second-class citizenship, and seen funding for higher education cut.
Du Bois argues that Washington's advocacy has accelerated these negative trends.
“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.”
The Declaration of Independence asserts that all people are born equal and possess inherent rights to life, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness.
Du Bois invokes the founding American ideal to counter Washington's accommodationist stance.
