He supported attempts to improve education that African Americans received through out the rest of his life, although the education provided to the African American students would be practical and not academic. He was later made Principle of Tuskegee institute in Alabama which specialised in practical subjects such as wagon making and learning to be a good housekeepers or a blacksmith. Later in the 1890’s, the Tuskegee institute developed a further education program. Washington advocated the importance of economic opportunities rather that civil or political rights. He adopted a political approach in improving the economic position of African Americans by forming the National Negro business league to encourage business skills and to show what African Americans had achieved in commerce and the economy. In 1911 the nation urban league was created which campaigned for equal conditions and opportunities in the industry and commerce of African Americans.
In his speech the ‘Atlanta Compromise’ he implied his acceptance of white supremacy and thus forth enabled him to get white supporters on his views of African American education and even become an adviser for President McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt on African American affairs. He even gained international status, for in 1896 he had tea in Buckingham place with Queen Victoria.
Nevertheless, despite Washington’s attempts in promoting the economic position of African Americans, he lived in an era of increasing persecution and discrimination of African Americans. Jim Crow Laws were passed across the South, segregation was legal and thousands of blacks were lynched. The Brownsville affair of 1906 meant that despite Booker T’s status, he could not prevent the black regiment from being court-martiallised.
Although Booker T privately financed cases to help bring down segregation, he did not want to damage his relationship with white America by adopting a radical stance. It would also have caused a white back lash and thus jeopardise the safety of many blacks in the south.
One of the men who directly challenged Washington and his views was W.E.B Du Bois, who claimed that Washington turned a blind eye to African American civil and political rights. Initially Du Bois supported Booker T’s efforts to raise the economic position of African Americans, and regarded Booker T’s ‘Atlanta Compromise’ speech of 1895 as a ‘phenomenal success, he later went on to criticise Booker T’s as being narrow and pessimistic. This was primarily due to Washington’s acceptance of the lack of political civil rights of African Americans.
In 1905, Du Bois directly challenged Washington‘s position with the creation the Niagara movement, leading a group of African American activists in demanding full civil and political rights for African Americans. The Niagara movement paved the way for the formation of the NAACP n 1909. The main aims of the NAACP were to campaign peacefully in order to achieve full civil and political rights through educating the public, but mainly through the courts. By 1914 the NAACP had 6’000 members and had achieved its first court success in the ‘Guinn verses the United States’.
Although one could argue that the role of both Washington and Du Bois was integral in achieving civil rights for African American’s, it would be unfair to say their attempts were total successes. Despite Washingtons national and international status, which helped him gain wide spread support not only amongst African Americans but White Americans too, both the National Negro Business League and the National Urban league were primarily concerned with promoting the economic position of African Americans, with little concern of their economic and social position. Washington failed to speak out against racism for fear that it could damage his relationship with the many white supporters he had gained. Furthermore, Du Bois criticism of Washington at a time where African Americans should’ve united in the face of prejudice and discrimination hindered the progression of African Americans in this period. Nevertheless, while not trying to undermining Washington, it could be said that Du Bois had the most fundamental role in the promotion of African American civil rights- the creation of the NAACP. The NAACP also played a vital role in the coming years in the campaign for civil rights, such as their ground breaking victory in the case 1923, and their successful campaign against segregation of schools in the Brown vs. Education board of Topeka.
However, it would be unfair to claim the work of Du Bois or Washington a total success in promoting the position of African Americans, for their efforts did not bring about any legal changes to the constitution nor did they bring about a mass movement in the campaign for civil rights.
