Booker T Washington Essay

He eventually became a powerful political boss, friend of white businessmen like Andrew Carnegie, and advisor of some presidents. Washington publicly accepted without protest racial segregation and voting discrimination, but secretly financed and directed many court suits against such proscriptions of civil rights. To Washington his ideas was obvious and clear, by earning the respect of whites they would either help blacks or deal with their crime against humanity that will eventually bring them down.

For African Americans, Jim Crow laws encompassed and affected every part of American life. The racial slur synonymous with negro and the laws used to discriminate against them. Two of the most recognizable figures advocating against of Jim Crow were Booker T. Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Though they lived through different times, they both shared the same goal of bettering circumstances of the African Americans people. While sharing a same common goal, Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr. had different approaches to confronting the color line, each approach with its positive and negative attributes.

The book, Up From Slavery, written by Booker Taliaferro Washington, profoundly touched me when I read it. Washington overcame many obstacles throughout his life. He became perhaps the most prominent black leader of his time. Booker T. Washington belived that African Americans could gain equality by improving their economic situation through education rather than by demanding equal rights.

Booker T. Washington believed that blacks should not push to attain equal civil and political rights with whites. That it was best to concentrate on improving their economic skills and the quality of their character. The burden of improvement resting squarely on the shoulders of the black man. Eventually they would earn the respect and love of the white man, and civil and political rights would be accrued as a matter of course. This was a very non-threatening and popular idea with a lot of whites.

Washington was often looked at as an “Uncle Tom” because of the things he did, such as advising blacks to remain in the South and to avoid politics and protest in favor of economic self-help and industrial education. He eventually became a powerful political boss, friend of white businessmen like Andrew Carnegie, and advisor of some presidents. Washington publicly accepted without protest racial segregation and voting discrimination, but secretly financed and directed many court suits against such proscriptions of civil rights. To Washington his ideas was obvious and clear, by earning the respect of whites they would either help blacks or deal with their crime against humanity that will eventually bring them down.

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Booker T. Washington was born in around 1950s in Franklin County of Virginia and spent the better part of his childhood as a slave. Following the emancipation, majority of the black community including Washington ware convinced that obtaining a formalized education was the best approach to improve their lifestyles and social class. The Blacks had a fairly limited opportunity to access education due to the prevalence of social segregation.

He decided that African Americans should temporarily accept discrimination and racial inferiority from white Americans. He believed that over time, African Americans would earn their equality and fair treatment as they rose economically and became more educated. His focus was in teaching industrial education or education about entering the workforce to African Americans, so they could learn and also economically prosper. In his Atlanta Compromise speech, Booker T. Washington showed what he believed about education and work by saying, “No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.” (Washington). This quote shows that he believes education is just as important as work, and he believed both are needed to be successful. This connects with his own life where he was constantly working but also getting educated. Also in his Atlanta Compromise speech, Booker T. Washington publically declared that he would accept segregation and inferiority of the black race in exchange that white Americans would allow education opportunity, economic growth and fair court justice for African Americans (“Booker T. Washington” PBS). He thought that if African Americans had these rights, they would eventually be able to prove themselves worthy of equality. Finally, Booker T. Washington opposed directly fighting back for rights and equality because he thought it would only lead to more violence against

Two men with the same goals but different views on how they should be achieved is exactly how Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois’ controversy should be described as. Their debate revolved around the idea of abolishing slavery as well as paving the way for the modernized Civil Rights Act in America to take place. Washington and DuBois were born in the same time period with the same intentions, yet had different methods of approaching how to do them. Both of their ideas were focused on how America could be best improved for the future in political, social and educational ways. Booker T. Washington’s perspective and ideologies were better than DuBois’ for

Booker T. Washington was introduced to the world as a slave. His early life in the South was spent at work helping pay for his college education. He was conscious of the disparities that Southern African Americans confronted everyday through his teaching of school age children. Washington understood that the era for opposition had not presented itself, but also that an adjustment was expected.

Booker T. Washington was known as the premier of black activist. His theory for the African American progression or “racial uplift” was that African American’s would remain without objections and silence themselves regarding the issues of disenfranchisement and social segregation if whites supported the black progression in education, economics, and agriculture.

Booker T. Washington rose up from slavery and illiteracy to become the foremost educator and leader of black Americans at the turn of the century. He was born on April 5, 1856 in Franklin County, Virginia. As a child he worked in the salt mines but always found time for education. Washington constantly dreamed of college but as an African American this dream was nearly impossible. His scrupulous working habits from the mines set him out for college at the Hampton Institute. He graduated in 1876 and became a teacher at a rural school. After 2 years of teaching, he went back to the Hampton Institute and was a “professor” here for 2 more years. His next challenge would be at a new all black college, Tuskegee Institute where he would become president. Under Washington's leadership (1881-1915), Tuskegee Institute became an important force in black education. Washington won a Harvard honorary degree in 1891.

On July 4, 1881, the Tuskegee Normal and Agricultural Institute was opened. The students built the early buildings of this institute themselves. The students of the Tuskegee Institute were taught to develop internally. They were taught how to take care of their money and health and how to conduct themselves in public. It is

Booker T. Washington was born, into slavery, on April 5th, 1856 in Hale’s Ford, Virginia. He was nine years old when his family was emancipated, and they moved to West Virginia. It wasn’t until after he moved that he began to receive an education. He eventually graduated from the Hampton Institute; he worked through the time he was in school in order to pay for his education. He went on to later become the leader of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama – a position he held until the day he died. He made huge contributions in the African-American community, and was one of their strongest leaders in the fight for their rights. He advocated strongly for the right to education and for social issues.

Two great leaders in the late 19th and 20th century of the black community were W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Even after of slavery, African Americans fought for their equal rights and opportunities. During the time of unfair treatments, few people found the courage to speak out on their beliefs for a change. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois regularly coherent their opinions and stand for what they believe is right. However, they sharply disagreed on strategies for black social and economic progress. Their opposing personality, philosophies, and legacy can be found in much of today 's discussions over how to end class and racial injustice.