Booker T. Washington was born a slave in southwestern Virginia. He was known as a leader for African Americans and strived for their vocational education and to gain equality for all. Booker T. also founded the Tuskegee Institution located in Alabama.
W.E.B Du Bois was born a free man in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He was well educated and attended Harvard University. Du Bois is known for starting the Niagara Movement, which was a group of African American Activists who wanted equal rights.
Both these men wanted to gain equality (social or economic) for African-Americans. They were both looked upon as leaders trying to change the views of society. The difference between the two was their approach to gaining equality for all. Booker T. Washington believed that black people should "earn" equality while Du Bois thought that equality should be a given right. Washington decided that the best way to gain equality was to gain economic security first. Unlike Washington, Du Bois wanted immediate social equality for blacks.
I think if both of these men would of gotten along and worked together, there would of been more change at a more rapid pace. They still set a great foundation for the activists that came after them, but if their pride or whatever it was did not get in the way of their relationship they could of done a lot more for society.
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