of Black Folks" in order to determine the paths that each of these men took towards the advancement of African Americans, and the reasons behind these methods.
             DuBois and Washington came from extremely different backgrounds. These differences are essential to understanding why each of these men went about trying to achieve progress for their race in the way they did. DuBois, the son of free parents, was born a free man and grew up in a white environment with more privileges and advantages than the majority of African Americans living in the United States at that time. He suffered neither severe economic hardship nor from repeated encounters with racism. In contrast, Booker T. Washington was born a slave on a Virginia plantation. In the first chapter of his Autobiography, Up From Slavery, he states, "My life had its beginning in the midst of the most miserable, desolate, and discouraging surroundings." This is in direct contrast with the life of W.E.B. Dubois. After the Civil War Washington and his family were declared free. Washington worked his way up from being a slave and eventually became a student at the Hampton Institute in Virginia. These extremely different backgrounds effected both of these men's political, social, and economic views. Throughout his life Washington had a pessimistic view of whites and saw the only way to achieve progress was to tell whites what they wanted to hear. DuBois had a more optimistic view. Growing up mostly with whites DuBois has a romantic belief in America. He believes that whites have a morality deep down that only needs to be stirred up. At a time when more than one hundred African Americans were lynched each year in the south Washington's perception seems much more realistic.
             The debate between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois reflected the economic despair that African Americans in the South felt. The Southern economy was suffering from its ...