The Great Debate The Two Visions Of Advancement For...

HISTORY 4070, DR JAMES BEEBY The Great Debate: The Two Visions of Advancement for African-Americans during the Progressive Era Dominique Harney 12/2/2014 Dominique Harney Hist 4050 Dr. Beeby The Great Debate: The Two Visions of Advancement for African-Americans during the Progressive Era The United States saw many debates regarding African-Americans in the late 19th century, debates on whether they could be seen as equal citizens, debates on whether they should be allowed the rights granted to white Americans, etc. Although all of these debates garner importance, the biggest debate may have come between two men who both advocated a different plan to uplift the African-American race as a whole. The two players in this debate†¦show more content†¦They had different ideas on how to fix the problem that African-Americans faced while living in white America. The negro problem at the time resulted from the exclusion of the negro from the group life of American society. This problem was caused by the racial prejudice that the negro faced at the time, prejudice in all aspects of American life (cultural, socially, economically, and education). The two men saw that the on ly way to resolve this problem was by addressing them head on; so that African-Americans could later go on to integrate with their fellow American citizens and live regular lives. The debate split African-Americans on which vision to follow, the submissive and conservative of Washington or the aggressive and straight forward vision of Dubois. The importance of these two leaders to African-American history are unparallel. When analyzing the debate regarding the problem, I feel it is useful to examine the sides taken by each player regarding the economic, social, and political conditions facing the negro at the time and how they felt it could be improved for future generations. Through analysis a vision will be constructed using the two players arguments on what one may believe would be have made a perfect unison vision for the African-American race at the time. Before the arguments are made for each side regarding on how to uplift the African-American race one must know the historic al context of the time. African-Americans had just been