Booker t washington - Essay Example

This essay will explore the life of Washington and explore his influence on education. In 8895, Washington gained national prominence and this lead him to attract attention of the public and the politicians. He became a popular African-American spokesperson. He built a vast network of supporters in majority of black communities, black ministers, educators, and businessmen who were his core supporters. This made him get access to top leaders in education, politics and philanthropy. His role in education became evident when he raising funds and seeking philanthropist to help set and operate a number of community schools and institutions for higher learning for the blacks.

He believed that for blacks to gain equal social rights like the whites they had to show industry, intelligence and property in them. The critiques however labelled her organization as the “Tuskegee Machine”. This was amidst of his efforts to advance the civil rights of the black (Cooney, P.33). The Tuskegee faculty taught the students basic skills that they took back to the rural community. Washington believed that with self-helps, the blacks would prosper from poverty to success. The main reason of sending the students back to the community was to be teachers of farming and traders who would teach new schools and institutions of higher learning for the blacks across the south.

With time, the school expanded and programs and department added and lead to the establishment of the today Tuskegee University. He expressed the vision of the blacks through education. Provision of needed skills by the black communities led to their acceptance by the white Americans. After Spanish-America war, President McKinley and his cabinet visited Washington and appreciated his efforts in raising the education levels of the blacks. Washington added his contributions to education by writing fourteen books.

The first publication; ‘up from slavery’