In The Souls of Black Folk written by Du Bois he criticizes the position that Washington’s Up From Slavery put African Americans in. However, Washington’s Up From Slavery was a declaration of the strength of the African Americans who persevered in the face of great odds. Du Bois criticizes Washington because “His doctrine has tended to make the whites, North and South, shift the burden of the Negro problem onto the Negro’s shoulders and stand aside as critical and rather pessimistic spectators” (1389) however, this was clearly not what Washington intended. In his writings, Washington, in my perspective, shows African Americans to be a stronger and wholly more compassionate people. They have faced more pain and suffering than the whites could imagine and through the face of it all they still find the strength to love and care for those who kept them in chains. As Washington states, “There are many instances of negroes tenderly caring for their former masters and mistresses who for some reason have become poor and dependent since the war.” (1349) This quote sheds light on the fact that relations between some blacks and whites was not as cold as many would think. Mostly, however, it shows the immense kindness of the former slaves. They have been owned their whole lives by these people and they have been kept in less than ideal circumstances. Yet, somehow, they find the strength in their heart to love these people and care for them when they sincerely did not have to. Washington goes on to tell a story of a former slave who walked a considerable amount of miles to pay a debt owed to his former master. The former slave did not have to pay the debt, but did so to keep his word which he had never broken. I do not find fault in Washington that some whites have decided to interpret his writings as a release from their responsibility to change the problems of the society we live in. With every work of writing there will be many different interpretations, and it is not the fault of the writer if someone decides to twist their work around to support their cause. Washington’s writing proved that African Americans are capable of immense strength even in the face of impossible odds. Washington’s own life story helps readers to see that he had more motivation to get himself educated than some whites had motivation to make their own beds and brew their own coffee. The piece was very inspiring.

In our modern society, we continue to face racial prejudices and problems across our country. For example, there is a political debate going on currently about the rights of white supremacists to speak freely without being shunned by society. This seems a ridiculous debate in my eyes. Yes, a main component of our country is free speech, however, socially it seems unacceptable to speak openly about the hate for another race. Would the debate be the same if blacks wanted the right to speak freely about their hate toward the white population for the decades of torture we have forced them to endure? Free speech is a wonderful component of our country, but there are social limits to what will be accepted and what will be shunned. Speaking openly about white people being a superior race is ignorant because it is proven that that is absolutely not true. They will be shunned as much as a speaker would be that got on a stage and tried to convince society that the sky is green. The sky is simply not green. These political debates show how our society seems to be backtracking into old forms of ignorance and prejudice. We must remain awake as a society if we intend to keep moving forward and progressing.