For this assignment, you will analyze a historical issue from the second half of American history (1877 – present). You will need to compare at least two opposing perspectives on the issue of civil rights for Black Americans during the American Progressive Era.
Directions:
- Read the following:
a.“The Meaning of Black Freedom” and “Racial Violence in Reconstruction” from the free ONLINE textbook from Lumen Learning.
b.The document titled “Washington and DuBois Reading”, which includes two perspectives on the issue. One from Booker T. Washington and another from W.E.B. DuBois. (See the attachment above.)
2.Complete the following writing assignment.
a.Your answers should be in complete sentences and use proper grammar.
b.Your response should be at least 5 paragraphs in length, using the format described below.
c.Be sure you understand that this is an individual assignment.
d.Using proper format provide citations for your sources (see below).
e.Type your answers in Microsoft Word or another word processing program and then load it into the TurnItIn link below.
Paragraph I. Introduction
1.Describe in general the issue that is to be debated. In no more than 3-5 sentences, give an overview of the social and political situation that Black Americans faced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Study “Jim Crow and African American Life” from the free ONLINE textbook from Lumen Learning. Use the link HERE. End this paragraph with a thesis statement that succinctly describes both Dubois and Washington’s programs.
Paragraph II. One perspective
2.Read and describe Booker T. Washington’s program in the excerpt “Up from Slavery.” Write at least a paragraph on Washington’s perspective and his proposals. Reference the document and use direct quotes, but do not allow any quote to extend beyond the third line of text in your paper.
Paragraph III. A second perspective
3.Read and describe W.E.B. Dubois’s program in the excerpt “The Souls of Black Folk.” Write at least a paragraph on Dubois’s perspective and his proposals. How does Dubois differ from Washington? Reference the document and use direct quotes, but do not allow any quote to extend beyond the third line of text in your paper.
Paragraph IV. Applications and assessment
4.Apply your learning to the present day. In light of the current discussion on race and civil rights in the United States, how did the reading(s) change the way in which you understood the subject? Who has the better solution, if any – Dubois or Washington? Why?
How are the issues presented in the reading(s) still relevant to you today? Please explain how your personal background and life experiences might influence your perspective on this topic?
Paragraph V. Conclusion
5.Wrap it up. In no more than 3-5 sentences, restate your thesis, add any final thoughts, tie up any loose ends, and answer any final questions that your reader may have. You may even choose to ask a thought-provoking question to encourage your reader to do more research.
Addendum: Citations
6.Cite your sources properly. When quoting or referencing your sources (the text, Dubois, or Washington), you need to use the Chicago Manual of Style, the standard method of documentation for history. Chicago Style requires footnoting. To footnote in Microsoft Word, look under the “References” tab, find the “Insert Footnote” button, and click on it. A line will appear at the bottom of your page under which you type your footnote.
Examples of the Chicago Manual of Style:
When citing Washington, this footnote will appear at the bottom of your page:
[1] Booker T. Washington, “Up From Slavery: An Autobiography of Booker T. Washington,” in Louis R. Harlan, ed., The Booker T. Washington Papers, Vol. 3, (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1974), 583–587.
If you cite Washington again, your footnote should appear as such:
2 Washington, 583 – 587.
When you cite W.E.B. Dubois, your footnote should appear as such:
[1] W.E.B. Dubois, The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches, 4th ed. (Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co., 1904), 300-305.
If you cite Dubois again, your footnote should appear as such:
2 Dubois, 300 – 305.
Requirements: 5 paragraphs well written
Answer preview
Washington’s philosophy encouraged African Americans to be progressive citizens through learning about trade to help them get opportunities to be self-sufficient. As a victim of degradation and slavery in his early life, he was ready to work against all odds to overcome the hardships. Hence, his thirst for learning made him establish a southern institution, known as the Tuskegee Institution in Alabama, to educate many Black Americans. Washington believed that the acquired knowledge would help blacks become economically independent and overcome the suppression promoted by the Jim Crow laws. As a spokesperson for the blacks during the 20th century, Washington told the whites, “In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.”[1] In this sense, he believed that despite the unjust racial hierarchy reinforced by the Jim Crow laws, African Americans could become economically independent like the whites.
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