Booker T Washington Research Papers

Booker T. Washington was a leader in the African American community from 1890 – 1915, a teacher, and an author. He was the very first principal and teacher at Tuskegee University, a historically black school. He also gave The Atlanta Address at the Cotton States and International Exposition where he disagreed with political and social equality with whites.

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.

In 1879 Armstrong asked him to return to Hampton Institute as a teacher. Washington did so, and then in 1881 Armstrong recommended him as the principal of a new school called Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. July 4, 1881 was the first day of school at Tuskegee Institute. It was a humble beginning, but under Washington's care both the school and Washington grew to be world famous. His school made lasting and profound contributions to the South and to the United States - such as through the work of one of its teachers – George Washington Carver.

Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois are similar to each other but disagree on plans for African Americans social and economic progress. “Booker T. Washington, educator, reformer and the most inflectional black leader of his time (1856-1915) preached a philosophy of self-help, racial solidarity and accommodation.” Washington encouraged African Americans to take on discrimination and focus on educating themselves through hard work and discipline. He believed that education was the answer to how African Americans can prove themselves to whites without anger and hatred. Washington believed that this would win the respect of whites and African Americans would be accepted as citizens into society. “W.E.B. Du Bois, a towering black intellectual, scholar and political thinker (1868-1963) said no--Washington's strategy would serve only to perpetuate white oppression.” Du Bois was one of the founders of the NAACP (National

Booker T. Washington was a man who not only cared for himself but for the African-American Race. Washington intended to persuade African-Americans to empower themselves and to show positivity with whites. “...There are many instances of Negro tenderly caring for their former masters and mistresses (Washington, pg.7).’’ Another piece of evidence that Washington stated is, “...cast down your buckets. (Washington, pg.219). He wanted white people to hire African-Americans”. He did well empower the African-American race. “No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem…It is at the bottom we must begin and not

1a. Booker T. Washington had a very different social philosophy than most African Americans pursuing their freedom had during this era. This philosophy brought upon much tension and many tended not to agree with Washington’s ways of thinking. One of the people who disagreed with Washington was W.E.B. Du Bois. Both Washington and Dubois were essentially striving towards the same outcome, but they both had different approaches. Booker T. Washington argued that African Americans must educate themselves and eventually this would show white Americans that they were valuable to society. However, W.E.B. Du Bois was completely against this ideology. He did not want to sit back and prove anything to white Americans who put them through treacherous conditions while they were slaves. He wanted to stand up and fight for his rights and the rights of his fellow African Americans. Du Bois’ goal was to gain every privilege that white Americans had. He wanted the right to vote, the right to education, and high economic standards for all African Americans. Washington on the other hand accepted racial segregation, which is clear in the statement he made that said, "In all things social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress." However, he also pushed for African Americans to be included in the economic growth of the South. This ideology of accepting racial segregation infuriated Du Bois because he felt that with this mind

Washington had three jobs before becoming a teacher, which consisted of carrying sacks of grains to a plantation mill, working in a salt mine with his step-father, and he was also a houseboy for Viola Ruffner in 1866. Viola saw the determination of wanting to learn in Booker’s face, in two years she grew to understand him. Eventually she allowed him to attend school for an hour a day during winter. When Booker T. Washington’s became a teacher, he taught African- Americans how to make themselves even more valuable to their community than they were recognized for. The name of the school was Tuskegee University, he was recommended by General Armstrong to run the school. Washington took on that responsibility and help raise money and promote the school, while doing that he reassured whites that the programs within this school would not threaten white supremacy or pose any economic competition to whites.

Booker T. Washington (1895-1915) was born a slave, but through hard work, dedication, and education pulled himself out of poverty to become the founder of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. In 1895 he delivered an address at the Cotton States Exposition in Atlanta in which he offered what came to be known as the "Atlanta Compromise." Washington suggested that blacks should forgo immediate agitation for political and social equality with whites, and work first to lay a firm foundation of vocational education and economic strength within the black community. In return for that self-imposed restraint, whites would support blacks in their efforts to lift themselves up.

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.

Finally, in 1872, Washington was able to begin his schooling. He attended the Hampton Institute from 1872 to 1875. After his stay at the Hampton Institute, he found the skills that he was taught there were extremely instrumental and so he worked to open his own Normal and Agricultural Institute.

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.

About this same time a school had been stated in Kanawha Valley, a little town a few miles away from Malden. This is where Washington began his book education. To attend the school, Washington, at first, had to go to night classes due to his job at the salt mines. With a little persuasion, Washington finally was allowed to attend during the day provided he worked from four o’clock to nine o’clock in the morning. This education was very disorderly due to the fact he could not attend regularly. Eventually Washington had to drop out of the school and continue working full time at the salt mines. Washington continued working at the salt mines until he was able to work in the coal mines. The coal mines paid a little more, but not a significant difference. It was here where Washington overheard two men talking about a new all Negro school in Hampton, Virginia. In order to go to this school, Washington needed to save money for clothes and traveling expenses. For this he worked in the house of Mrs. Viola Ruffner, who turned out to have an ample affect on his life. “The lessons that I learned in the home of Mrs. Ruffner were as valuable to me as any education I have ever gotten since,” (Washington 52). From Mrs. Ruffner, Washington learned about taking pride in having a clean living area. She also encouraged his education during the time of his work there. After saving whatever money he could, Washington set off for the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. During

Booker T. Washington was a leader who saw power and success in passiveness and patience. He believed that African Americans would attain their rights in time through hard work, improved education and self-help. His journey from slave to leader was evidence that the black race was highly capable of helping themselves reach a degree of success and he was ultimately convinced

Born into slavery, but he came out a scholar. Booker T. Washington, a leader in the black community as the United States progressed towards equality for all after the Civil War. He may have started as a slave who had nothing but the clothes on his back, but through his desires and ambitions, he was able to achieve great success. He strove to improve the relationships between the Whites and African Americans for the future. Washington advocated patience and hard work towards a common goal of equality, only then will everyone get what they want.

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