The Political Economy of Booker T. Washington

A second leading his people out of bondage and into Promised Land? A well meaning, highly visible prototype of Uncle Tom being used by White World to further cause of racial segregation and White Supermacy? Take your pick-from these and many others, such are legend of misrepresentations centered about very public yet very enigmatic Booker T. Washington. Perspective would seem to be key to puzzle: on balance, historians-if social theorists-have favorably evaluated Washington's contributions to advancement and education of Black race (with certain notable exceptions to be discussed later). Even those less acquainted with literature would probably recognize effects of voice of W. E. B. Du Bois in shaping both future opinion on Booker T. Washington and future course of social theory concerning American interracialism. Appearing in 1903, when it was clear to all that Washington's program had held back tide of increased lynchings, Jim Crow and disfranchisement, The Souls of Black Folk roundly bombasted the Moses in an unassumingly entitled chapter, Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others.1 These twelve pages damned Washington in same breath in which they praised him, raised him to heights at same time they pitied him and recognized his success and effort if his insight and intelligence. Washington, according to Du Bois, had adopted an idea, not wholly original, and through his enthusiasm, unlimited energy and perfect faith transformed a stop-gap measure into a veritable Way of Life. In process, he had be

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• Exploring a Century of Historical Scholarship on Booker T. Washington

  Pero Gaglo Dagbovie•The Journal of African American…•2007

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