Advancing The People and Strengthening a Nation: Four Unforgettable Men Advocating for Change in the Redemption Era

It is evident that Washington felt that the best way for blacks to better their future was to make themselves a necessary need in society. Therefore, he urged blacks to deal with discrimination for the time being and focus on economic prosperity for themselves through hard work and vocational training believing that it will pay off. For example, Washington believed that an educated black would eventually win the respect of whites and lead to blacks being accepted into society. He felt that speaking up would do more damage to the black race. Granted that he promoted segregation to maintain a racial identity, he states, “To those of my race who depend on bettering their condition in a foreign land or who underestimate the importance of cultivating, making friendly relations with the Southern white man, who is their next door neighbor, I would say: Cast down your bucket where you are,” “cast it down making friends in every manly way of the people of all races by whom we are surrounded.” (Atlanta Cotton States) Washington believed that people should make the most of any situation they are in.

Marcus Garvey, was born in Jamaica in 1887 and is considered to be the father of the Black Nationalism Movement. During the early 1900’s, after reading Booker T.

He insists on thrift and self-respect, but at the same time counsels a silent submission to civic inferiority such as is bound to sap the manhood of any race in the long run. He advocates common-school and industrial training, and depreciates institutions of higher learning; but neither the Negro common-schools, nor Tuskegee itself, could remain open a day were it not for teachers trained in Negro colleges, or trained by their graduates” (Du Bois, 1903). However, to Du Bois, Washington seemed like a complete push over to white rule. As Du Bois states in The Souls of Black Folk, “We have no right to sit silently by while the inevitable seeds are sown for a harvest of disaster to our children, black and white.” Washington believes it was the black mans “duty” to judge the South “discriminately” but they should not “hate or blame” the present generation for things that happened in the past. I stand with Du Bois in that, first, it is the duty of Mr. Washington to speak out about some “horrifying acts” that happened. Which Washington did speak out against some of these acts, like lynching and the violent abuse of African Americans. However, Du Bois also criticizes Washington on his propaganda, which I also dissent because he pushed that the south is “justified” in its attitude toward the negro because

Washington was born into slavery in 1856, despite this he received an education at the Hampton Institute, a school designed to educate African Americans and Native Americas. In 1881, Washington built and became the headmaster at a school, the Tuskegee Institute, which was virtually all black in population. From this Washington lived a comfortable life and was able to give a number of addresses regarding issues of black rights. Washington’s famous speech, the Atlanta Exposition address, was given in 1895.The address was a speech designed to seek compromise between the races, through asking for greater treatment from white Southerners, in return for positive economic cooperation through educating black people in the industrial spheres. Washington

Reconstruction failed for African Americans. By the 1890’s all optimism that came as a result of the Constitutional rights guaranteed to them by the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments was gone. Their reality, particularly for those in the South, was one of lynchings, Jim Crowe laws, and voting restrictions. They faced discrimination, segregation, limited educational opportunities, and a tenant farming system that only slightly differed from slavery. In the early twentieth century, visionaries such as Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, and Marcus Garvey recognized the urgent need for change. These great leaders were in agreement that action was required to uplift the African American race. However, their philosophies on how to approach it were vastly different.

of the races, and accommodation. He urged blacks to accept discrimination for the time being and concentrate on elevating themselves through hard work and material prosperity. Washington believed in education, industrial and farming skills and themes of patience, owning busineses and thrift. This, he belived, would win the respect of whites and lead to African Americans being fully accepted as citizens and integrated into all stagesof society. Washington's thinking was one of accommodation to white oppression. He advised blacks to trust southern whites and accept the fact of white supremacy. He stressed the interdependence of blacks and whites in the South, but said they were to remain socially separate: One of Washington's famous quotes was "In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress." Up from slaves 1901p.Washington counseled blacks to remain in the South, obtain a useful education, save their money, work hard, and purchase property. By doing such things, Washington believed, the Negro could one day be a full fledge citizen.

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” The Gettysburg Address, by Abraham Lincoln explains that “all men are created equal,” thus they should have the freedom to pursue education, emancipation, and equal rights. Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington, who was a freed slave, despite the odds founded the Tuskegee Institute. The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas written by Fredrick Douglas is the story of his life as a slave, his courage and his escape. Their lives and stories inspired other African Americans to seek a better life. Booker and Fredrick were both authors, orators, freed slaves, and both men valued education. In addition, both men wanted personal freedom and the freedom of others. “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom,” stated George Washington Carver. Viewing education as the “key to unlock the golden door of freedom” they inspired others to seek education,

Lastly, Du Bois and Washington's individual experiences are historical in the fight for black equality. The two men both lived very fulfilling lives dedicated to their life work of the black cause. Washington began his educational career at the age of 16 at the Hampton Institute while performing janitorial duties to pay his board. After graduating he returned back to West Virginia and taught adults and children. He then went away to study at the Wayland Seminary in Washington D.C. where upon his completion joined the staff at the Hampton Institute. Years later in 1881 he was asked to be the president of the Tuskegee Institution which promoted literacy among freed blacks. Here began the monument of his life work, for the rest of his days would be spent supporting the school. Then, the year 1895 marked a turning point in his life when he gave the Atlanta Compromise Address speech that would outline his beliefs for the rest of his days. Furthermore, in 1900 with help from T. Thomas Fortune the creation of the National Negro Business League happened with Washington the first president. He even accepts and invitation by Andrew Garrison to go to Europe and preach his words of wisdom. The book ends with a speech before a mixed crowd of black and white to the City Council of Richmond, Virginia, and Washington never feeling more hopeful for the African-American race. Like

According to Marcus Garvey, the “Negro’s greatest enemy” were white people and politicians. Essentially, politicians, of every race, were blocking his efforts. Garvey communicated that there was no solution to this problem, unless black people created their own country. This would have given them economical and social freedom. Since God was their inspiration, it was always intended that everyone was free, and not was not to be enslaved by others. Garvey thought that no one should ever feel superior, when it came to race. Although, Garvey did not outright convey who the “enemy” was, it can be interpreted that white people were the enemy.

As Watkins (2001) addressed this issue in his book, he indicated that there were no provisions for educating the newly freed Black people or any preparations for them living in society as a freed person. Black people were uneducated, living in impoverished conditions, and were trained only in agriculture skills. Vocational training was introduced across the southern plain as a means to this problem. It would provide cheap labor in a profitable market. The Hampton Institute was founded to address the societal issues resulting from the abolishment of slavery. Another prominent school established a short while later was the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama that was headed by an appointed Black Principal, Booker T. Washington, in 1881. Washington was a product of training at the Hampton Institute and was recommended

Carli Acosta Period 4 Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington Booker T. Washington, born into slavery, led a life in which he was “not quite sure” of his exact birth date or place. His upbringing was described by himself as desolate and miserable. Despite this, he persevered and rose to success as the title of his autobiography, Up From Slavery, would suggest.

The autobiography of Booker T. Washing titled Up From Slavery is a rich narrative of the man's life from slavery to one of the founders of the Tuskegee Institute. The book takes us through one of the most dynamic periods in this country's history, especially African Americans. I am very interested in the period following the Civil War and especially in the transformation of African Americans from slaves to freemen. Up From Slavery provides a great deal of information on this time period and helped me to better understand the transition. Up From Slavery provided a narrative on Washington's life, as well as his views on education and integration of African Americans. All though this book was

In many ways it could be argued that Marcus Garvey was the most significant African American civil rights leader of this time because of his role in tackling the social issues African American’s faced. He aimed to improve the lives of African Americans by encouraging them to take control of their own affairs and education. His role surrounding this issue is illustrated by his founding of the UNIA. This Universal Negro Improvement Association was an organisation dedicated to racial pride, economic self sufficiency and the formation of an independent black nation in Africa. Through this and the magazine the ‘Negro World’ he urged African Americans to be proud of their race, and argued “a people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”. It has been said that through Garvey’s dedication to social improvement for his race he managed to capture the imagination of many blacks for whom the American Dream was a dirty joke.

Booker T. Washington was one of the most well-known African American educators of all time. Lessons from his life recordings and novelistic writings are still being talked and learned about today. His ideas of the accommodation of the Negro people and the instillation of a good work ethic into every student are opposed, though, by some well-known critics of both past and current times. They state their cases by claiming the Negro’s should not have stayed quiet and worked their way to wear they did, they should have demanded equal treatment from the southern whites and claimed what was previously promised to them. Also, they state that Washington did not really care about equality or respect, but about a status boost in his own life. Both

As time moved on, discussions of Plessy would ensue well into the 20th century. Groups such as the NAACP were established after Plessy’s ruling to help ensure the equal protection and advancements of minority groups. The NAACP was founded in 1909 in New York City by a group of bi-racial individuals seeking better treatment and equality amongst its people. This program came to be after much debate in the African American community over segregation. One such leader was the marveled, Booker T. Washington who claimed that African Americans should accept segregation. He would eventually establish African Americans colleges that are still used today throughout the United States. His most famous establishment was the Tuskegee Institute built in Tuskegee, Alabama. Which at the time was built predominantly for African-Americans as a way to promote educational equality at the higher levels of education. Others such as W.E.B. DuBois believed that the only way for African-Americans to be considered equal was through educational equality. He said that until equal education was given, African American citizens would never have the same opportunities as white people. Thus creating an even larger human rights debate on whether the right to education was fully achieved. Although both had different ideas for the advancements of education, the underlying contribution was that many started to understand the greater issues of Plessy’s ruling. Both men and the NAACP would become