Black Intellectuals and Black Studies: A Macrostory

Abstract

Black intellectual history has continually shifted between the poles of integration and separation (both voluntary and involuntary) since the founding of the country. Prior to the Civil War it was impossible for most African Americans to gain literacy. Following the Civil War a great debate rose between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois on the utility of vocational education versus liberal arts. Although Washington won the initial battle for resources, Black pursuit of liberal arts increased dramatically after World War II. However, by the 1960s a new generation of Black students and some Black scholars began to question the utility of a liberal arts that excluded their history and showed little interest in solving the problems of their communities.