History of African Americans and Higher Education Essay example

These occupations included: “blacksmithing, wheelwrighting, carpentering, printing and building, shoe and harness making, [and] masonry” (Document G). He did not want the Blacks to have to perform slave-like work as it was grueling and was not really a life. Washington states that “no time is wasted on dead languages or superfluous studies of any kind. What is practical, what will best fit these young people for the work of life” (Document G). By saying this, Washington would settle for whatever trade job the Blacks were able to be hired for, just as long as the whites and Blacks were guaranteed the same privileges. Although he was appealing to both races, Washington had many critics saying that by going with his philosophy of gradually gaining social equality for Blacks, he allowed white supremacy to be present in society for a longer amount of time, which was not ideal. One critic remarks in Document H that “he [Washington] knows by sad experience that industrial education will not stand him in place of political, civil and intellectual liberty” (Document H). By saying this, the critic believed that Washington was not fighting for Blacks to receive a higher education because he himself knew that the highest possible placement for Blacks that wanted a form of education was in a trade school. In addition, he exclaimed that by attending these trade schools,

Throughout history, African American weren’t considered the smartest race on earth. With slavery and being for bided to ever touch or learn to read a book, African American became the race that envy having an education. Education became a prime factor in the African American culture. Having an education to an African is having the one-way ticket out of the terrible streets. They believe that if they don’t know nothing they won’t get nothing. In other word, if they aren’t educated their life would remain the same. Way back to slavery, African American would be beaten if they were to open a book and dare to read it instead of cleaning it.

During my early years of school, I remember being taught white accomplishments and wondering if blacks and other people of color had made any significant contributions to today's world. I noticed that television consist of all white people. Throughout my research paper I hope to cover certain aspects of African American heritage. Aspects such as blacks making up the largest minority group in the United States, although Mexican-Americans are rapidly changing that. The contributions blacks have provided to our country are immeasurable. Unfortunately though rather than recognizing these contributions, white America would rather focus on oppressing and degrading these people. As a consequence American

Thomas Jefferson wanted the American citizens to be educated, except for black people. “It wasn’t until 1868 when the Fourteenth Amendment, which provide equal protection under the laws, that it had an enormous impact on public schools.”(Spring 184 paraphrased). Although it was a huge accomplishment for our history in America, the decades to come would be hard for not only African American, but as well as for the Native people. Not only in the way they were treated by their society, but the way they received their education from society and its government as well. In the beginning education for African Americans was not received very well by the America public. “Some Anglo-Americans after the Revolution even protested the provision of any education for African Americans, Claiming that it would offend southerners and encourage immigration from Africa.”(Spring 118). Boston was one of the first places for black people to receive an education. “Boston organized the first comprehensive system of urban schools after the passage of the Massachusetts Education act of 1789.”(Spring 118). Within this legislation towns would provide elementary schools for six months of the year and grammar schools in communities with more than 200 families. By 1790 the black population at that time in Boston was 766 out of the total population of

As the Reconstruction Era ended so did the market for professional job opportunities for African Americans. An area for work opportunity for African Americans was seen in the industrial labor markets. Booker T. Washington, a freedman and graduate of the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, was one of the biggest advocated for the pursuit of practical training and manual labor for African Americans. He was a teacher and later elected president at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama (now the Tuskegee University). There he trained Black students to become teachers, farmers, and construction workers. Many students were apart of a work-study program and helped construct buildings at the Tuskegee Institute. Around the same time, another freedman, W.E.D Du Bois had his own ideas about African American education. He was a Harvard graduate; the first African American to received a doctorate degree, and a co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He criticized Washington’s vocational style of education and argued that it promoted submission to White Southern rule. He gained followers and led student protests at Hampton, Howard, and Fisk in the 1920s. As a result of the protests, the first Black president at Howard was elected in 1926 (Allen & Jewell 2002). Today, more than 100 HBCU still remain in the U.S. and have

Though it is only a blurb, a Mr. Robert Pierce of Junction City, Kansas is wished the best of luck as he makes his way down to Atlanta, Georgia to train in commercial studies at Morris Brown University. Pierce is one of the town’s “best Colored boys” and is a shining example of the importance placed upon the freedom of movement as well as the right to an education. Booker T. Washington created the Tuskegee Institute in order to train both men in women in technical studies. Washington believed that African Americans should stay put down south, not fight the Jim Crow laws, and become economic mavens in cash-based economies such as agriculture, masonry, domestic house work, etc. At the bottom of page two, Western University in Quindaro, Kansas takes up a sizeable space advertising its various educational programs featuring classes which teach skills to men, women, and both genders. On the next two pages, there is both an article written about and an advertisement for Kansas Industrial and Educational Institute in Topeka. Kansas Industrial touts itself for going beyond the “fallacy of training men theoretically only” and another article just below it says “The race riots have revealed the need of more schools like the Hampton and Tuskegee Institutes.” It is reflected in The Wichita Protest that many African Americans in the area saw education as the way to not only succeed financially,

Du Bois advocated for universal common education and industrial training for the majority of African Americans.

During Reconstruction and the years to follow, the dynamic between blacks and whites evolved. , the dynamic between blacks and southern whNewly free blacks began to seek opportunities forout education, employment, and other endeavors – opportunities that they could not access while enslaved. Meanwhile, southern whites struggled to come to terms with thea major alterationchange in the way that their homes, businesses, and lives were runoperated. With the roles of whites and blacks alteredreoriented, the ways in which the two groups interacted changed as well – the South was truly “reconstructed”. Booker T. Washington lived through this time, becoming famousrenowned for his conservative navigation of the evolving racial climate and hisremembered for his historic and became famous for a number of achievements. Among Washington’s enduring most known accomplishments illustrious timeless were his writing, his strong belief in a good work ethic, and perhaps most importantly, his founding of Tuskegee Institute, now called Tuskegee University. Tuskegee Institute, a school for newly free blacks, was different than other black schools blacks because Washington implemented a technical curriculum, as opposed to a classic or liberal arts education. This alternative education was a deliberate choice by Washington, who believed that a technical education would serve blacks better than a liberal arts education. Booker T. Washington 's establishment of a school for technical education was

When an African American enroll into college, we may be denied due to race or there may be doubts whether we can afford to attend. In order for us to show leadership, a higher education will be important. For us to receive higher education, we will need to be treated equally at all levels.

Following the end of the Civil War and the freedom of slaves, the northern white population did not successfully accomplish St Claire’s challenge. The whites simply gave permission to the black men and women in order for their education to be legal. Furthermore, the northern whites took no active step to “teach them and bear with them” (Stowe 267) and insure the education of the newly freed slaves occurred. The white population did not help to provide a suitable place for teaching, they didn’t get involved more than giving money, and when blacks were hired their bosses gave them little time for their studies.

Gutek (2013) discusses in chapter 9 how higher education for African Americans evolved over the years. On page 317 Gutek (2013) writes about W.E.B. Du Bois and how he emphasized the need for academically talented African Americans in the United States. Gutek (2103) goes on to write, “Du Bois believed that talented black leaders, with higher and professional educations, could improve the African American situation as well as make a contribution to the

Washington was attracted to the idea of industrial education because he saw it as a way to strengthen relationships from a business perspective between White men and Black people. He said the following, “I believe the way for the redemption of the Negro was being prepared through industrial development.” He felt an industrial education would give Black people the essential tools for their freedom. This is where conflict between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois arise, “Negro men and women were educated in literature, in mathematics and in the sciences, with little thought of what had been taking place during the preceding two hundred and fifty years, except, perhaps, as something to be escaped, to be got as far away from as possible.”

The first American school during the colonial period was in the seventeenth century that catered to the European settlers. During that time, Christian indoctrinations taught slaves not to think but to believe; as it would not be beneficial for slaves to try to revolt against their slave masters. It would not be until the late 1800’s that blacks could receive a minimal education attending segre-gated schools. “The American Missionary Association founded Atlanta University (AU) in 1867, making it the first predominately black institution of higher learning in the state of Georgia.” (Wiggan 1). Currently in the United States having a higher education is required in order to re-ceive a decent paying salary. Although some would argue that in America everyone has the opportunity for an equal education; the poor are limited to a higher quality education because of the lack of financial resources that perpetuates a social class system in America. Money is what makes up the class system; it dictates the level and quality of

African-American history originates before the development of the United States as an autonomous nation, and African-American writing has correspondingly profound roots. The African-American writers kept the subject of southern slavery at the top and wrote about their experiences in 18th century America. The slave accounts were vital to African-American writing. Exactly 6,000 previous slaves from North America and the Caribbean composed records of their lives, with about 150 of these distributed as independent books or handouts. Slave stories might be extensively ordered into three different structures: stories of religious reclamation, stories to move the abolitionist battle, and stories of advancement. The stories kept in touch with motivate the abolitionist battle are the most celebrated on the grounds that they have a tendency to have a solid self-portraying theme. A considerable lot of them are currently perceived as the most scholarly of all nineteenth century works by African Americans.

Within the south, the general philosophy that had developed since the civil war, was that if African Americans were kept ill-educated they would remain ‘in their place’ in society. An educated “boy” could become a danger. There was also a belief in some areas that African Americans were not intelligent enough to deserve an education. The shadow of “Jim Crow” cast itself over education in the south. The result of this was very much linked to the poverty most African Americans found themselves in – without a good education, no-one could advance themselves in southern society. Therefore, a poor education guaranteed a poor lifestyle for the African Americans