In The Period 1880-1915 Did Black People Achieve More Through Protest Or Accommodation?

      Whereas Wells represented the more aggressive school of thought in the civil rights movement, her counterpart W. E. B. De Bois contrasted highly in his beliefs in the methods of attaining equality. Wells was a firm believer in resisting federal legislation, however De Bois was an advocator of accommodating these measures, and using intellectual capabilities to highlight the two races similarities as a means of progressing. For example in 1900 alongside Booker T. Washington organised the Exposition Universelle in Paris. He wanted to show the positive contribution African-Americans could make to society. This is the fundamental difference between himself and Wells’ school of thought, and highlighting the reason why his methods were more successful, as she only reiterated not just the perceived intrinsic differences between whites and blacks, but reinforced the racial stereotypes of the blacks and arguably showing how this race could never be integrated into American society.

By founding the ‘Niagra Movement’ with William Monroe Trotter, advocating for the basic civil rights and the erosion of racial segregation and stereotypes, he showed his willingness to adapt into the perceived civilised and constitutional manner of American society, and emphasizing the advantages of giving full racial equality. This willingness to integrate into American society was also shown through he columns in major publications such as the San Francisco Chronicle and Chicago Defender, and shows how the accommodation of the Jim Crow laws as opposed to protesting evidently was more successful.

However, because of his advanced level of intellect and education, he therefore held many critical views against the opinions of those less fortunate in the black community, as highlighted as explains ‘A little less complaining and whining, and a little more dogged work and manly striving, would do us more credit than a thousand civil rights bills’. Although this quote would isolate many blacks, De Bois was however successful as presenting himself as a microcosm of the potentiality of the black race as he saw them, and consequently made more advancements than isolating the white population than protesting.

      Following this trend set by De Bois was Booker T. Washington, another prominent advocator of accommodating the Jim Crow Laws and continuing process of eroding blacks’ civil rights. Just like De Bois he had a reasonable education compared to a lot of the black population, and because of this was a believer in the importance of educating the freedmen, as a means of accommodating and integrating them within American society. He was also seen as a spokesperson for the African-American community because of his accommodating view of attaining civil rights for the blacks, and therefore gained much publicity in highlighting the ‘good’ within the movement, whereas Wells would be considered an aggressor and hinderer to any advancements. Washington once remarked that ‘enjoyment of all the privileges that come to us must be the severe and constant struggle rather than of artificial forcing’. This shows his awareness as to the disadvantages of being an agitator of the establishment, like Wells did, and reiterate just why he was so successful in brining the issue of civil rights to the forefront of debate at the turn on the century.

Because of is very institutionalised thought of attaining civil rights and equality, he received criticism within the movement. Even De Bois once called him ‘The Great Accommodator’ as a result of his outlook on the issue. He responded by stating that confrontation would be detrimental to the cause, as the blacks would be massively outnumbered, so therefore cooperation with the whites was the only way to overcome racism. This admission and belief largely symbolises the reason that protesting was not as successful, as he identifies the power of public opinion, and how effective the mobilization of the population would devastate the movement, and this was something fundamentally Wells overlooked in her well intended aggression against the system.

      What has been highlighted by the aforementioned characters in the fight for civil rights in a post-reconstruction America is the power of accommodation in discarding the popular feeling of superiority over the freedmen. This showed the possible future integration of this once perceived inferior race, however, the protestation by some elements of the movement only reinforced the racially motivated stereotypes attained through the years of slavery by the white population. Therefore it is evident that accommodating paved the way for the successful struggle against the legalised segregation that had blighted the emancipation of the slaves.