Progressive Movement Practice Exam

Which leader founded a vocational training institution to improve economic opportunities for African Americans?

1. George Washington Carver

2. Frederick Douglass

3. W. E. B. Du Bois

4. Booker T. Washington

The correct answer is: Booker T. Washington

The choice of Booker T. Washington as the leader who founded a vocational training institution to improve economic opportunities for African Americans is accurate because he played a significant role in promoting vocational education. Washington established the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1881, which became a pivotal institution for educating African Americans in practical skills and trades. His approach emphasized the importance of economic self-sufficiency through vocational training, believing that well-trained workers could improve both individual lives and the status of the African American community as a whole. This focus on vocational training was a response to the social and economic challenges faced by African Americans in the post-Civil War era. Washington advocated for industrial education, which he believed would provide African Americans with the skills necessary to attain economic independence and respect in society. By fostering a strong emphasis on practical education, Washington sought to enhance career opportunities and ultimately empower African Americans within a racially segregated society. While other figures mentioned made significant contributions to civil rights and education, they did not specifically establish vocational training institutions with the same emphasis on economic opportunity in the way Washington did.