Within the African American community, leaders have debated the efficacy of industrial education versus liberal education to determine the most effective means of securing African liberation.

Throughout the life of Booker T. Washington expressed in his autobiography, Up From Slavery, that one cannot succeed solely on a liberal education, but must accompany this with that of an industrial education as well. He believed that with this type of education, the black man could provide necessary services not only for himself, but also for those in his community as well. According to Washington, "We wanted to teach the students how to bathe; …

…gradually to achieve positions of power and responsibility before they could demand equal citizenship, even if it meant temporarily assuming a position of inferiority. DuBois understood Washington's program, but believed that it was not the solution to the race problem. Blacks should study the liberal arts, and have the same rights as white citizens. Blacks, DuBois believed, should not have to sacrifice their constitutional rights in order to achieve a status that was already guaranteed.