Great Leaders: Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois

Two great leaders of the black communities in the 19th and 20th century  was both Booker T. Washington. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois are both African American philosophies that were mainly known for their works.  Booker T. Washington was an educator reformer and influencer while W.E.B Dubois was a black intellectual, scholar and political thinker. They both have written powerful literature that moved and influence the black race. They used Ethos, Logos, and Pathos to describe or state their beliefs and their feelings in one of their works.

    Booker T. Washington uses logos, Ethos and Pathos in his speech Atlanta Compromise to spread his beliefs and feelings. In the Atlanta Compromise, it States that  Believing that Reconstruction failed by offering African Americans too much too soon. This shows how Booker T. Washington uses ethos by stating his beliefs that the only reason why reconstruction failed was that the whites offer African Americans too much. He also uses ethos to stress that African Americans should have an industrial education rather than a traditional education. Booker T. Washington uses facts to support his claim that African Americans are better off working in an industrial society rather than having a traditional education. In the speech it stated that Our greatest danger is, that in the great leap from slavery to freedom we may overlook the fact that the masses of us are to live by the productions of our hands, and fail to keep in mind that we shall prosper in proportion as we learn to dignify and glory common labor and put brains and skill into the common occupations of life. This show how Booker T. Washington used facts to prove to his race that industrial education is not that bad because they already know how to do it. They did it in slavery. He uses pathos to play with the reader's emotions. He uses words as  veritable body of death, stagnating, and depressing.

    In comparison, W.E.B Du Bios also uses logos, ethos, and pathos to express his beliefs and feelings. W.E.B Du Bois believed that being involved in politics and having a traditional education is better for African American. He believes that they should have ambition and better themselves by having an education. He uses fact to support his beliefs. It stated in The Souls of Black Folk (1903) it stated that He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the door of Opportunity closed roughly in his face. This shows that he wants whites to give black a chance to be American and have an education that can benefits both them and their families. He wants them to be treated equally. Du Bois stated that The former slaves were intimidated, beaten, raped, and butchered by angry and revengeful men. This shows that Du Bis uses pathos to show his emotions and to play with people emotionally.

     The similarities of both writers were that they wanted blacks to have an education. Even Though they didn't agree on the type of education blacks should have they both wanted them to get an education. Du Bois wanted blacks to have a traditional education as it stated that He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the door of Opportunity closed roughly in his face.He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the door of Opportunity closed roughly in his face, while Booker T. Washington wanted Our greatest danger is, that in the great leap from slavery to freedom we may overlook the fact that the masses of us are to live by the productions of our hands, and fail to keep in mind that we shall prosper in proportion as we learn to dignify and glory common labor and put brains and skill into the common occupations of life. This shows that they wanted African American to be ambitious and better themselves off whether they had an industrial education or traditional education.

    I agree with W.E.B Du Bois because he talks about black American getting an education and bettering themselves. Education can be powerful and help slaves becomes men and stand up for themselves. Dubois also stressed education of AA's youths. This is the reason why I agree with W.E.B Dubois because of the way it wrote the essay to express his beliefs about how African should progress in life.

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