Final answer:
The claim that Booker T. Washington earned a doctorate from Harvard is false. It was actually W. E. B. Du Bois who achieved this milestone by completing his Ph.D. at Harvard in 1895, becoming the first African American to do so.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that Booker T. Washington was the first African American to earn a doctorate degree from Harvard University is false. The correct individual who achieved this historic accomplishment was W. E. B. Du Bois. In 1895, Du Bois completed his Ph.D. at Harvard, becoming the first African American to do so. This was a significant milestone, as it was an unprecedented achievement for an African American during that period. Washington was a prominent African American leader as well, known for his tenure as the founder and head of the Tuskegee Institute, and for his advocacy for education and job training for African Americans. However, Washington did not earn a doctorate from Harvard, or any other university.Washington and Du Bois had differing views on the progress and empowerment of African Americans. Du Bois emphasized the importance of higher education and civil rights activism, believing that African Americans should not have to compromise by accepting segregation. In contrast, Washington focused on vocational education and believed in working within the existing social system to gain gradual improvements for the African American community.