Assess the View That Booker T. Washington Was the Most Important Leader in the Development of African American Civil Rights in the Period from 1865-1992
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‘Assess the view that Booker T. Washington was the most important leader in the development of African American civil rights in the period from 1865-1992’
In the period from 1865-1992 the world and specifically America saw prominent leaders in the civil rights movement for African Americans, however generally their goals are similar with the exception of a few, their methods were for the most part quite different. It could be argued that Booker T. Washington was an important leader in the late 1800s up until his death; however his significance didn’t last as it seemed as if he was content with white supremacy and didn’t challenge violence against black people. In this aspect Booker T. Washington contrasts with another leader, Malcolm X, whose beliefs are with black superiority and taking a violent approach to reach his goals unlike another leader Martin Luther King who believed in non-violence. Both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King had oratorical skills which were very much needed in a leader which helped them connect with their audience, Washington can also be seen to have had this skill however with him it wasn’t as publicly notable. To decide who the most important leader was we must look at their long term significance and despite popularity and importance being two very different things, the fact that Martin Luther King is still worldly recognised today for his part in the civil rights movement, which then paved the way for further movement after his death, shows that he can be seen as the most important leader. However it could be argued that his importance is limited as he reached such popularity for coming in at the right time where television gave him a larger platform.
P1Booker T. Washington like Martin Luther King came from a middle class educated background which did allow him to make connections with important people such as President Roosevelt. His Atlanta speech of 1895 led to his leadership of the black community as he argued for white and black...
In the period from 1865-1992 the world and specifically America saw prominent leaders in the civil rights movement for African Americans, however generally their goals are similar with the exception of a few, their methods were for the most part quite different. It could be argued that Booker T. Washington was an important leader in the late 1800s up until his death; however his significance didn’t last as it seemed as if he was content with white supremacy and didn’t challenge violence against black people. In this aspect Booker T. Washington contrasts with another leader, Malcolm X, whose beliefs are with black superiority and taking a violent approach to reach his goals unlike another leader Martin Luther King who believed in non-violence. Both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King had oratorical skills which were very much needed in a leader which helped them connect with their audience, Washington can also be seen to have had this skill however with him it wasn’t as publicly notable. To decide who the most important leader was we must look at their long term significance and despite popularity and importance being two very different things, the fact that Martin Luther King is still worldly recognised today for his part in the civil rights movement, which then paved the way for further movement after his death, shows that he can be seen as the most important leader. However it could be argued that his importance is limited as he reached such popularity for coming in at the right time where television gave him a larger platform.
P1Booker T. Washington like Martin Luther King came from a middle class educated background which did allow him to make connections with important people such as President Roosevelt. His Atlanta speech of 1895 led to his leadership of the black community as he argued for white and black...