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The Atlanta Compromise Speech By Booker T. Washington

Decent Essays

It was during the Recreation Period when the rights of Blacks were not the same as Whites and this made the lives of the Black difficult. Segregation was very common at the time. It affected many in the black society, including Booker T. Washington. He was a major contributor to the end of segregation, and in 1895, he delivered “The Atlanta Compromise Speech.” He believed that with the hard work of the Blacks, that they would earn and gain the respect of the esteemed whites. The main idea of “The Atlanta Compromise Speech” was that Blacks should obtain social responsibility and to achieve this, work from the bottom to top. Booker T. Washington’s speech was given to persuade the citizens to end the idea of segregation and promote cooperation between Blacks and Whites during the Recreation Period. The speech was also given to make an impact on how the people view society and the actions the citizens need to take. He used rhetorical strategies to make his speech argumentative. He focused on each strategy, and effectively configured his speech which made it effective for the audience. In Booker T. Washington’s speech, he used the historical background to make the speech more effective. Booker T. Washington wrote The Atlanta Compromise Speech during the Recreation Period in which segregation was very common back then. By him using the historical background, the audience is able to get a better understanding of what Booker T. Washington wanted to talk about. Not only does the

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