How did Booker T. Washington change the Civil Rights Movmement.?

Booker T. Washington significantly influenced the Civil Rights Movement by advocating for vocational education and economic self-reliance among African Americans, emphasizing that these would lead to gradual social acceptance and equality. His approach, articulated in his 1895 Atlanta Compromise speech, suggested that African Americans should focus on improving their economic conditions rather than immediate political rights. While his philosophy faced criticism from contemporaries like W.E.B. Du Bois, Washington's focus on education and self-improvement laid a foundation for future civil rights activism, promoting the idea that empowerment through economic means could eventually lead to greater social and political rights.