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Lesson

Debating Strategies for Change: Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. Du Bois

Duration
65 min
Grade
9–12
Published
Nov 15, 2020
Black and white portraits of two distinguished men in formal attire, facing each other against a textured background.
Use this Lesson with the Booker T. Washington, "Speech to the Cotton States and International Exposition," 1895 Primary Source to allow students to analyze and compare arguments for the early African American civil rights movement.

Objectives:

  • Students will examine differing accounts on the best method for African Americans to achieve equality and integration into American society by reading and summarizing the arguments of Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois
  • Students will practice civil discourse by following the Structured Academic Controversy model of debate.

Materials

Lesson Components

ActivityPrimary Sources: Washington and Du Bois

Two primary sources including Booker T. Washington's 'Speech before the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition', September 18, 1895 and W. E. B. Du Bois' 'Niagara Movement Speech', 1905.

ActivityStructured Academic Controversy Handout

A facilitation guide for a Structured Academic Controversy to address the themes of Civil Rights and Economic Freedom in the Washington and Du Bois primary sources.

Lesson plan

65 minClick a phase to open it

More Information

Students can complete the readings for this activity in class or for homework. Note that the two documents are a decade apart. Evaluate the strength of each argument using these questions:

  • Would Washington’s model of accommodation inevitably lead to political and social reform?
  • Why did Du Bois demand legal and political equality, and how could he achieve such demands?

Standards

Advanced Placement

  • Topic 6.4 · The “New South”
  • Theme · American and National Identity
  • Learning Objective · Unit 6C
  • Historical Development · 6.3.II.C
  • Reasoning Skill · Sourcing and Situation
  • Reasoning Skill · Source Claims and Evidence
  • Reasoning Skill · Contextualization
  • Reasoning Skill · Making Connections
  • Reasoning Skill · Argumentation
  • Reasoning Process · Comparison
  • Reasoning Process · Causation

Check whether this resource aligns with your state’s standards →

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