About Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) - Research Paper Example

? Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) Biographical Highlights Booker T. Washington was among the most controversial and influential black Americans in history. Raised as the slave mother’s son, Booker was committed and self-motivated to his education from a tender age (Washington, 2010). The turbulent time in US’s history during his life gave him freedom from Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in the year 1863 and his success in the Civil War of the North. Washington took his first opportunity to join a school for formal education in Hampton Institute and this led to his professorship and founding of the most famous African American learning institution in the nineteenth century, Tuskegee Institute. People saw Booker as having the status quo of the black American subordination from his speeches and writings indicated that the road to success for black Americans was only through achieving economic stability with the aid of education such as vocational training (Washington, 2010). Washington did not challenge any political system, protest or even claim about the issue of social fairness like his critics, W.E.B Du Bois and Frederick Douglass. He chose to focus on what Africans could accomplish mainly by concentrating on industrial skills because he believed these skills would help blacks to achieve economic stability. Booker felt that the rebellious rhetoric of his critics distracted the blacks from the road to accomplishment through economic success (Washington, 2010). Historic Roots Booker T. Washington was born in Hales Ford on April 5, 1856. His mother was Jane who was a slave; James Burroughs was his biological father who was his mother’s master. Booker had two brothers and later on, their mother married Washington Ferguson, who was a slave also (Washington & Harlan, 2004). During the Civil War, which took place in 1861, Booker and his family’s life did not change immediately. Following the Civil War, his stepfather escaped to North America, and after the end of the war, they joined him in West Virginia. During this time, Booker started working in the salt mines (Washington & Harlan, 2004). Although he dreamed of joining school, this was illegal for black American at that time. He used to carry the white children’s books or looking through the classroom’s windows. Fortunately, his mother acquired a Webster’s spelling book’s copy for him, which he vigorously studied. After convincing his stepfather, he did allow him to join a school for black Americans, although he still had to work in the salt mine before and after classes to cater for his family (Washington & Harlan, 2004). While working in the mines, Booker learned of a former slaves’ school, Hampton Institute. He left the work to join Hampton in 1872 after making enough savings to cater for him and his family (Gates & Jarrett, 2007). During his life in Hampton, he came up with his principles of industrial education. After graduation, he went back to Maiden where he worked as a teacher, but finally employed in Hampton as a staff member. In 1881, after recommendation by the founder of Hampton, he was requested to go and start up another industrial school in Alabama (Gates & Jarrett, 2007). Founding Tuskegee Institute Born into slavery, Booker experienced racial discrimination throughout his entire life. His desire and commitment to school, made him to be among the view black Americans who were educated, whereby he succeeded to become a teacher after his graduation (Gates & Jarrett, 2007). Believing in industrial education, Booker founded Tuskegee Institute in Alabama when he was twenty-five years old. Booker believed that social racism was highly entrenched to extend that demanding immediate social equality would not be successful (Gates & Jarrett, 2007). The vision of his institute was to train black Americans to acquire skills that could help them the most. Tuskegee Institute eventually became an agricultural research institute center. One of the famous products of Tuskegee Institute was George Washington Carver. Carver came up with the conclusion that a lot more productive consumption could be of agricultural lands by planting diversifying crops. He discovered a number of new crops and their uses such as pecans, potatoes, and peanuts. One such example was peanut butter. Booker saw a future in this new form of agriculture as a way of raising the economical status of black Americans (Gates & Jarrett, 2007). The Atlanta “Compromise” In the year 1895, Booker released a speech at the Atlanta Exposition. This speech resulted in widespread concentration to Booker’s beliefs on how the blacks could successfully fit into the society during that time (Washington & Harlan, 2004). He affirmed that Black Americans must concentrate on Vocational Education since he thought this would highly transform their economical status. Learning Greek and Latin in school contributed to nothing in the daily realities of the Southern people. Booker declared that Black Americans should forget their short-term hopes for political and social equalities. He claimed that when the white saw Black Americans contributing equally to the economic growth of the nation as productive citizens, political and social equality would automatically follow (Washington & Harlan, 2004). For those who were hoping for a black utopia of sovereignty, Booker declared, “Cast down your buckets wherever you are”. Not all Black Americans embraced this speech. Many whites endorsed of this reasonable stance, while on the other hand, the Black Americans came apart. For instance, Booker’s critics referred this talk the Atlanta compromise and blamed him for spoiling southern racism (Washington & Harlan, 2004). His later successful years brought him a broader recognition and accomplishments. However, in the year 1900, Booker became the most famous and powerful head of the Black Americans community (Gates & Jarrett, 2007). In the following year, he published his first autobiography, Up from Slavery. Booker was a promising and a prominent leader who acted as a role model to many of his followers. The publication of this book and its proceedings were beneficial since they led to the provision of economic security for his school, Tuskegee Institute (Gates & Jarrett, 2007). In the year 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt summoned Booker to the White House for dinner. This was the first time in history of America when a Black American got such a prestigious invite at the White House. By 1904, Booker had effectively bounded himself with what was referred to as “Tuskegee Machine”. This facilitated Booker to be highly influential in key political decision-making and many viewed him as the key famous advisor of the Black American community. In addition, Booker was perceptive in ensuring excellent public relations through reading the black newspapers together with other publications (Washington & Harlan, 2004). In the early twentieth century, Booker declined from involving himself in a race relations’ forum whose main momentum was the foundation of the National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Booker was doubtful with the association’s motives and was less concerned with the group’s military policies (Washington & Harlan, 2004). The win of Woodrow Wilson, in the year 1912, as the President of US (twenty-eighth president) may be termed as the turning point in Booker’s public rhetoric. Woodrow had conducted his campaigns with assurances of pursuing equal rights for Black Americans (Gates & Jarrett, 2007). He did not fulfill his promises during his time as the president. Stung by Woodrow’s betrayal, Booker surprised many people by producing an article criticizing the militant African Americans’ leaders of that time. Despite his rhetoric change, people believed that Booker had constantly done a lot behind the prospects than he externally made apparent (Gates & Jarrett, 2007). Importance Booker declined from the offensive approaches influenced by Frederick Douglass who was his predecessor in the community of the African community. There are debates on whether or not Booker was just being realistic in the accomplishments of that time or whether he individually suggested that such approaches were best for the African American community (Washington, 2010). Whichever the case, Booker remains to be one among the most powerful leaders in the United States during his time. It is also good to keep in mind that Booker lived in the times when black Americans had no rights to vote, many lived below the poverty line, and few were learned. The racial changes, which took place after the Civil War, resulted to unstable social and political environments. In current terms, Booker may politically act in a “correct” manner to make him not lose the key whites support (Washington, 2010). He put many efforts in developing such relationships and made decisions that confrontational method was not beneficial. Additionally, Booker was famous because of his efforts to raise finances for the Tuskegee Institute. Many philanthropists referred Tuskegee Institute because of Booker’s vision for trying to help the black Americans to change to a better life (Washington, 2010). Booker’s death Booker T. Washington met his death in the year 1915. Whether the death cause related to complete nervous failure or exhaustion, it clearly remains in the American history that Booker made a great impact internationally. United States continued to experience this impact as it struggled with racism issues throughout the twentieth century (Washington, 2010). References Gates, H. L., & Jarrett, G. A. (2007). The new Negro: Essays on race, representation, and African American culture, 1892-1938. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Washington, B. T. (2010). Up from Slavery: An Autobiography. Boston: MobileReference.com. Washington, B. T., & Harlan, L. R. (2004). The Booker T. Washington papers: Vol. 2. Urbana: Univ. of Ill. P. Read More