Final answer:
Carter G. Woodson opposed vocational education because he feared it might limit African American students to laborer roles and impede their broader educational and career opportunities. He emphasized the need for higher education and the integration of African American perspectives into the curriculum.
Step-by-step explanation:
Historian Carter G. Woodson was critical of vocational education because he believed it could limit the educational and career aspirations of African Americans. Woodson argued that vocational training often prepared individuals only for jobs as laborers, potentially constraining their future opportunities for progress. He advocated for a comprehensive education that included African American history, culture, and perspectives as part of the broader narrative of US history to combat stereotypical and racist ideologies.
Moreover, Woodson highlighted the necessity of institutions of higher learning for the education and training of teachers, who play an essential role in both vocational and traditional educational settings. Through his work, Woodson sought to transform black history into its own scholarly discipline and ensure the inclusion of black perspectives within the American educational curriculum, benefitting not only African Americans but the entire nation.