Introduction

By what standards should we judge people from the past? Do we hold them to the standards of our day or of theirs? Should we take into account their backgrounds and circumstances or hold up everyone to the same standards? These are some of the questions you will have to consider as you look back at the lives and legacies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois, two men who both wanted to help uplift African-Americans from the wreckage of Reconstruction and the ravages of racism. During their careers, both Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois took up the issue of education for African-Americans. You will be looking at their lives and their writings and deciding for yourselves how you think these two men should be remembered.