answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

W. E. B. Du Bois had mixed feelings about desegregation, believing it should only be accomplished voluntarily because African-American children would be more likely to thrive in an environment where they were wanted and treated with respect. He perceived the "color line" as one of the obstacles that needed to be overcome in the 20th-century.

John Davis, who represented the respondents in Brown v. Board of Education, (1954), used Du Bois' words to defend school segregation:

"It is difficult to think of anything more important for the development of a people than proper training for their children; and yet I have repeatedly seen wise and loving colored parents take infinite pains to force their little children into schools where the white children, white teachers, and white parents despised and resented the dark child, make mock of it, neglected or bullied it, and literally rendered its life a living hell. Such parents want their children to "fight" this thing out-but, dear God, at what a cost!"

and

"We shall get a finer, better balance of spirit; an infinitely more capable and rounded personality by putting children in schools where they are wanted, and where they are happy and inspired, than in thrusting them into hells where they are ridiculed and hated."

But the African-American intellectual's views were much more complex than Davis painted them. He supported integration on a broader scale, but didn't want integration mandated by the government. Du Bois' concern was realistically related to how certain members of white society would treat African-Americans, particularly if they were forced to accept change rather than embracing it themselves.

In 1935, nearly 20 years before Brown, Du Bois wrote:

"A separate Negro school, where children are treated like human beings, trained by teachers of their own race, who know what it means to be black…is infinitely better than making our boys and girls doormats to be spit and trampled upon and lied to by ignorant social climbers, whose sole claim to superiority is ability to kick [n-word] when they are down."

On the other hand, Du Bois also wrote:

"Theoretically, the Negro needs neither segregated schools nor mixed schools. What he needs is Education.... Other things being equal, the mixed school is the broader, more natural basis for the education of all youth. It gives wider contacts; it inspires great self-confidence; and suppresses the inferiority complex. But other things seldom are equal, and in that case, Sympathy, Knowledge, and the Truth, outweigh all that the mixed school can offer."

*W.E.B.Du Bois, "Does the Negro Need Separate Schools?,"4 Journal of Negro Education 328-335 (July 1935).

For more information, see Related Questions, below.

User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: How would W E B Du Bois react to Brown v. Board of Education?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

What was the significance of the us supreme court decision in Brown vs Board of Education?

Brown vs Board of Education was huge for African Americans and the nation as a whole. It changed how integrated the schools would become and what rights were allowed to African Americans.


How did the Jim crow laws affect blacks education?

Brown vs Board of Education case (you can look it up in wikipedia) desegregated public schools, so black and whites would be together. Brown vs Board of Education, Topeka KS was a civil rights movement.


What was the unanimous ruling in Brown v Board of Education?

The unanimous holding in Brown v. Board was that "separate but equal", the policy by which Blacks and Whites in segregation would be separated but would receive equal treatment could not function. Separate was inherently unequal. The result was that all of the laws and systems of segregation, especially in education, were illegal or likely to be deemed illegal.


What did the Supreme court do in the ruling known as Brown II?

The Supreme Court ruling known as Brown II helped outlaw segregation in schools. It was also known as Brown V. Board of Education. The law didn't specify when or how the schools would desegregate, but that they would.


What was the ruling in the Brown vs the board of Education case?

It was that all blacks had a chance to sit down in class and be equal like their white peers. This was crucial in making sure that they would have the same quality of education as everyone else. Since then, the ruling has ensured the equal rights to an education for blacks.


Why would segregationists want to impeach earl warren?

segregation disagreed with brown v. board of education........apex :)


How would the fourteenth amendment relate to brown v. board of education?

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 US 483 (1954)The United States Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, (1954), was based on the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Although the Due Process Cause was probably also applicable, Chief Justice Earl Warren explained it was unnecessary for the Court to review the case in terms of both clauses, because the Equal Protection Clause was sufficient to declare segregation in public school unconstitutional.For more information, see Related Questions, below.


Did the US Supreme Court order racially segregated public schools to integrate in Brown v. Board of Education II?

Brown v. Board of Education II, 349 US 294 (1955)AnswerYes. The Court declared segregation unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education, 374 US 483 (1954), and ordered integration, overseen by the US District Courts, in Brown v. Board of Education (II), 349 US 294 (1955).ExplanationThe US Supreme Court first declared segregation in public education unconstitutional in 1954, in the consolidated cases heard under the caption Brown v. Board of Education, 347 US 483 (1954). This overturned the decision in Plessy v. Ferguson,(1896), that allowed "separate but equal" accommodations for African-Americans in most areas of life, including education. In Brown, the Supreme Court determined that "separated but equal" wasn't equal, and unfairly branded African-American students as inferior.The Court recognized, however, that the logistics of integration would be difficult in many school districts, so they set a future date to determine the practical aspects of their earlier ruling. In Brown v. Board of Education (II), 349 US 294 (1955), commonly known as Brown II, the Court ordered the US District Courts to oversee application of the mandate requiring public schools to integrate with "all deliberate speed."Although most people consider 1954 the year the Court ordered integration, the mandate wasn't handed down until 1955, in the separate, but related, Brown IIcase.


How do you write a letter to board of education about school?

It is very easy to write a letter to the Board of Education about a school. Open the letter with the fact you would like to make and then follow up with substantiating information about the fact. Usually the Board of Education enjoys receiving feedback from citizens.


When did separate but equal end?

The "separate but equal" doctrine would characterize American society until the doctrine was ultimately overturned during the 1954 Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.


What would happen to the grass underneath the board?

what would happen to the grass underneath the board would be that the grass would shrivel up or turn brown because of the sunlight being blocked by the board. there would be less water and that would cause death or dehigration to the grass underneath.


What is the best example of stare decisis?

There could be numerous examples that would qualify but one that most people can relate to is Brown vs. Board of Education. Stare Decisis basically means that a ruling is made based upon precedence.