Political Views of Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. DuBois

Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois both had different up bringings which later affected their political views. Booker T. Washington was born a slave, while W.E.B. DuBois was born free. They were both African-American men but had different political views and beliefs. The morals and upbringings of these two men were different, but both inspired them to strive to make a difference in African-American's lives.

Booker T. Washington being born a slave lead him to believing that people should have to work for what they deserve. Sometimes it takes hard work in order to get what you want or need and things should not always be natural or handed out as a gift. Booker T. Washington wanted African-Americans to have more rights and to be equals with whites, but he thought they should have to earn some of their rights. African-Americans needed to be educated and be able to make a living, which is why Booker T. Washington started the Tuskegee Institute. "He rejected the pursuit of political and social equality with whites in favor of developing vocational skills and a reputation for stability and dependability," (pbs.org).  If colored people were not educated then they couldn't get a job and if they didn't have a job they could not sustain themselves, so therefore they had not earned their rights as and American citizen.

W.E.B. DuBois was born into a free African-American family. As a free man, he had the outlook that rights should be natural. He thought that one should not have to work to get their rights, which is not fair to those who were educated and had jobs. DuBois, unlike Washington did not wasn't blacks to work for their rights and accept discrimination. Since he was born free, unlike many other African-Americans at the time, he did not understand what it meant to work for one's own freedom and rights like the black slaves did.


 These two men defiantly had different views but both wanted to gain more rights for African-Americans. The political views of DuBois and Washington were important factors which influences their beliefs and morals. DuBois approached getting more rights for colored people through protests. Booker T. Washington was more civil with trying to obtain rights for African-Americans. The fact that Dubois was free and with how he approached the issue seems to be due to his up bringing. Since Booker T. Washington was a former slave and chose to remain low key with trying to get rights for blacks reflects to how he was once a slave. Dubois was used to getting what he wanted without much fight, while Washington was used to having to work for what he wanted and not having much of a say about anything that happened to him.

An example of a present day person who is a spokes person for colored people is President Barack Obama. Today he makes sure that blacks and white are equal. He oversees that they are each treated with the respect that they deserve, are educated, and are employed. “This dream of equality and fairness has never come easily—but it has always been sustained by the belief that in America, change is possible. Today, because of that hope, coupled with the hard and painstaking labor of Americans sung and unsung, we live in a moment when the dream of equal opportunity is within reach for people of every color and creed.”

These three men all had one thing in common and that was looking out for the rights of others, especially colored people. Their views differed some in how they thought the best way to accomplish achieving more equal rights for all people. Their different views and morals have to do with how they have been raised all their life. Obama, Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B. Dubois all shared common ground of one goal and that was to help others obtain equal rights.

Vertical and Horizontal Integration -- the Gilded Age

There are two different types of Integration that we learned about during the unit about the Gilded Age. These two types were verical and horizontal integration. Vertical integration is when one ownes several phases of production, which therefore eliminates the need for a middle man. This level of production allows the owner to be suffient without the help of other companies to produce anthing for him. This then leads the owner to have a monopoly over a certain industry. Horizontal integration is when one owns all of just one phase of production. This level of production allows an owner to control all production of something all over the country. Horizontal integration can lead the one to having a monopoly in a particular industry.

There are many famous people during the Gilded Age who were partakers in these two types of integration. Andrew Carnegie is an example of someone who owned all of one phase (vertical integration). He had his own steel company and then began making investments in coal, oil, and iron companies and then started manufacturing railroad cars. Then he went on to make his own iron bride bulding comapnay and telegraph firm. For more information about Andrew Carngie . Rockefeller at first an example of horizontal integration but later his company started to become more vertical. He owned all of mulitple oil companies which is horizontal. Later he started companies that made the barrels that oil was put into and also owned transportation companies so he could transport his own oil, this is vertical. He created a trust for his oil company and became very rich. For more information about Rockefeller .

A mordern example of a vertical company is Exxon Mobil. It is an oil comapny and they drill their own oil, produce the oil, ship oil, and has workers hired to do reseach for their corporation. A modern example of horizontal integration is the schools part of the North Deanery here in Indiana. The North Deanery connects a series of schools together and can control what high school(s) are adertized within the grade schools within the North Deanery.


Horizontal and vertical integration are important fro the expansions of companies. It helps owners expand their companies hiw they want. Vertical integration is more difficult because it involves gaining control of multiple phases of production. Horizontal integration only involves owning multiple of on phase, which leads to monopoly of a given industry.