Chapter 3 Response SOBF

Given the times that people had in the past as a result of racism, times were rigorous. The dark night of oppression was always seen and felt everywhere, like the never-ending night. In some instances, though, and beam of light would flash through the veil of racism and give people hope. Booker T. Washington was one of these flashes of hope; he was not the only one though, there were many others. Through detail and tone Du Bois gives a structural view on the morals of freeing black people from the slavery of discrimination. Understanding the idea that every idea is not best and detailing the specific problems people have can help people realize what is wrong and pick the best solution.
The tone that Du Bois gives off is that of constructive criticism. He gives background information that allows the reader to get into an in-depth meaning of what people are feeling. This gets you into the author’s mind and allows you to see why he is assessing the actions of other black leaders, specifically Booker T. Washington. He gives without much detail, the basic description of Washington’s proposal which is to give up, “political power, insistence on civil rights, higher education of Negro youth,” (Du Bois 87). The lack of detail in this proposal reflects the lack of support it has from many of the African American race. Du Bois goes on to say that these things are exactly what we need to make our community a group of, “teachers, professional men, and leaders,” (Du Bois 90). If we were able to make a league of these types of men, then we could easily overcome any tribulation that comes our way. Within three pages of the story Du Bois uses a numbering method of a teacher that numbers the complaints she has with an English paper. Like a teacher he is telling Washington what is wrong with his proposal, what it needs, and the mistakes that could have been avoided. He does not say that his proposal is totally wrong; he even concludes that the disfranchisement, civil inferiority, and withdrawal of aid from the Negro are not proven, “direct results of Mr. Washington’s teachings (Du Bois 88). The way he says it keeps it professional and respectful.
The tone soon changes to resentment near the end when the Declaration of Independence is put into the end of the chapter. The same quote that has been verbally crucified is the “all men are created equal” clause (Du Bois 95). This is overused so much because it was the foundation and backbone of our country when we had nothing else; it has survived through the Civil War and many others and has been the standpoint of nationalism everywhere, but it is ripped apart like the 300 year old paper it is when it comes to skin color. Why a dark human, cannot be equal to a lighter human is beyond understanding to many. America is seen as the land of the free with slaves. This is a contradiction, not even one fully agreed on because this immoral act brought us to the Civil War. How can everyone pursue life, liberty and happiness if it is only for a select few of color? Why ignore such a moral law that could bring everyone to happiness? Why must it be made an additional law when it is wrong in moral and governmental standpoints? Alas, with all this, we are still in opposition today. Racism has only moved from a usual topic on everyone’s minds to a subtle thought that passes by. We must still press on to keep this viral idea from ever resurfacing.