Booker T. Washington is a well known Negro leader who fought for what he believed in. Though Washington was born into slavery, he persevered and worked through racial struggles. By learning to cope with discrimination, he led other Negroes to a better life. Booker T. Washington was a pivotal leader in the advancement of the Negro race because he lifted up the Negroes in a slow, steady process; he made work an important part of their lives and education; and he was highly respected by both the Negro and White races. Booker T. Washington advanced the Negro race through a slow, steady process. Washington did not believe that the Negroes should be on the top of society right away because advancing the Negro race would take time. Another influential …show more content…
Washington stated many times that people must try and work for what they have because nothing will just come to anyone. Likewise, Washington explains, “Nothing ever comes to anyone, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work”(Washington 131). Because of what Washington did, many Negroes became educated. Also, helping with the school in Tuskegee showed Washington’s commitment to education and work. DuBois believed in the right to vote, civil equality, and the education of the Negroes based on their abilities (Gibson 3). Controversially, Washington believed that no matter what the Negroes’ abilities were, they should not be denied an education. By being respected by both races, Washington brooke the racial boundaries of the …show more content…
Washington did not show favoritism to his race, even though his race was not treated well. One of Washington’s ideas was that everyone should be treated as equals no matter their race, skin color, or social status. Even though Washington’s program tended to favor the Whites, many Negroes still considered him a role model. As stated by Gibson, Washington became an amazing leader for not only education and philanthropy, but also in business, labor relations, politics, and public affairs (Gibson 3). Lastly, Washington made sure that whenever he met anyone, that he would not place one over the other.
Nevertheless, Booker T. Washington was often recognized wherever he went. For instance, many people would stop him and thank him for all that he was doing. Furthermore, many prominent people would donate to Tuskegee, and they respected Washington’s philosophies. While Washington was in Europe, he was asked to speak a various prestigious events. After Washington returned home from Europe, he received an invitation to speak at the New England University, and he realized that he was the first Negro to speak at the university. Washington was a highly esteemed leader that many people
One of his main problems was always finding enough money. The support he received from the state was neither generous nor stable enough to build the kind of school he was developing. So he had to raise the money himself by going on speaking tours and solicitating donations. He received a lot of money from white northerners who were impressed with the work he was doing and his non-threatening racial views. Industrialists like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller would donate money on a regular basis. It was these non-threatening racial views that gave Washington the appellation "The Great Accomodater". He believed that blacks should not push to attain equal civil and political rights with whites. 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.
Booker T. Washington’s philosophy and actions betrayed the interests of African Americans because he was more interested on the blacks getting educated and getting the respect of the white authorities, instead of worrying on getting their political and social equality right away, which was the main interest of the African Americans. In “The Atlanta Exposition Address”, Washington said that blacks would sacrifice their civil rights and social equality for the time being, as long as whites guaranteed that they would receive industrial education and jobs because he believed that in order to fully obtain equality, the blacks should improve themselves. “It is at the bottom of
Booker T. Washington was the type of African American leader that was fighting for more economic opportunities instead of civil and educational rights. He thought that if African Americans established an economic base they would be able to eventually receive political and social equality, even
Washington contributed secretly and substantially to legal challenges against segregation and disfranchisement of blacks. In his public role, he believed he could achieve more by skillful accommodation to the social realities of the age of segregation
In Chapter three of The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B Du Bois discusses Booker T. Washington and some of his accomplishments for African Americans and also criticizes some of his lack of understanding in his propaganda that he could have done more in his position to progress African Americans status instead of trying to be accepted by the white community. Washington has been criticized by Du Bois because of his “submission” to the white view on African Americans and their rights Du Bois calling him “the most distinguished Southerner since Jefferson Davis” (Du Bois, 1903).
In one site, Booker T. Washington, the most influential lieder of his period (1856-1915), who was born as a slave in 1856 (Virginia), who because of studying in the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. Learned the skills he needed to be respected by the withes society and gain considerable influence over the black people. Washington philosophy was based on self-improvement, education, accommodation and others. He preaches that African American rather than concentrate their effort in combating segregation, they should be focus in self-improvement, education and wealth. He encourages Young African American develop patience, commercial agricultural skills and others instead of instead of
White Americans were happy with Washington's ideas , and made him the national Negro leader. Northern whites saw in Washington's a peace formula between the races in the South.
DuBois’s main contention with the ideology guiding the work of Booker T Washington was that he wanted blacks to be second class to whites. He wanted blacks to be workers for the whites, in a way free, but in a way still enslaved. Washington wanted blacks to work if they wanted a social status, education and the right to vote. DuBois how ever believed that blacks could be leaders and just as equal with the whites, not beneath, but beside
W.E.B. DuBois was a very strong advocate for black people being treated equally to white people. He co-founded the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Which was a very important part of the civil rights movement. The NAACP was “created to work for the abolition of segregation and discrimination in housing, education, employment, voting, and transportation; to oppose racism; and to ensure African Americans their constitutional rights”. He also created a book called “The Souls Of Black Folk” Which made him more popular, with the main Idea of the book being that the “central problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line.” He was a man who fought for equality, where Booker T. Washington, on the other hand, did not. Booker T. Washington thought that black people should in fact have different rights then white people, and that instead of fighting it, black people should just accept it, and focus on economic self-improvement. He also believed that black people should not fight for equal rights, because it would lead to more anti-black violence, such as lynching which is the act of killing someone, most commonly by hanging, by mob action and without legal authority. By these facts you can tell that Washington and
Washington's approach to solving the problems African Americans faced was rooted in his belief in an industrial education. Born a slave and educated at Hampton Institute Washington learned from a trade and skill based curriculum. He advocated a
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
Washington was powerful and influential in both the black and white communities. He was a confidential advisor to President Roosevelt and for years, presidential political appointments of African-Americans were cleared through him. By the last years of his life Washington began speaking
Booker T. Washington was considered one of the shrewdest African American leaders of all time. As one commentator stated, Washington was modest but
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.
Racial discrimination, political, social and economic inequality during the late 19th century and early 20th century led various leaders within the black community to rise up and address the appalling circumstances that African Americans were forced to endure. Among these leaders were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois whom possessed analogous desires as it pertained to the advancement and upliftment of the black race. While both individuals were fighting for the same cause and purpose they embraced contrary ideologies and approaches to African American struggle. In Booker T. Washington’s book “Up from Slavery” African Americans were encouraged to be passive and focus on vocational education whereas in W.E.B. DuBois book “The Souls of Black Folk”, African Americans were encouraged to fight for their merited rights and focus on academic education. However, although Washington was convinced that his ideologies would sincerely uplift the black race, they actually proved to be detrimental, leaving DuBois ideology to be the most reasonable and appropriate solution for the advancement of the black race.