Booker T Washington Atlanta Exposition Address
Booker T. Washington’s “Atlanta Exposition Address In his Atlanta Exposition Address, Booker T. Washington stressed that his listeners “cast down your bucket where you are.” Booker T. Washington was one of the most prominent African-American leaders in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He believed in vocational education and personal self improvement. Acquiring economic power through patient industry was his principle concern.
“To those of my race who depend on bettering their condition in a foreign land or who underestimate the importance of cultivating friendly relations with the Southern white man” (Washington 1). Washington in this speech goes more into explaining in order to get the respect that his fellow people must give respect as well. Washington does also talks and makes sure and emphasizes that Negros must and should get the same privileges as any other and that they should have a right to say in law. This connects with the most of the article written about Booker T Washington because in all articles they state he was a great
Booker T. Washington demands that jobs in the south not be given to immigrants when the recently freed African Americans had already more than earned those jobs and had proved their loyalty to the south time and time again; the intended audience of this speech was, of course, the white men who controlled the southern
Washington is wise because of his experiences and is well aware that even the whites Exposition organizers and attendees that largely support him have fears and reservations about how much opportunity they truly want his fellow black Americans to have. He knows that the white leaders feel threatened by the possibility of blacks achieving economic success and expecting to be equal and fully integrated with whites. Washington soothes these fears by saying that “in all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress”. Booker T. Washington understood that great progress requires great patience, and his choice of language in this speech is
However Booker T. Washington believed in having a more skillful education, consisting of learning how to trade, mastering agriculture skills and more things one would need to get a job. However, W.E.B DuBois also put many efforts to achieve equal rights towards African Americans which Booker T Washington put on hold. Booker T Washington’s plan was to make it so that “Blacks would [have to] accept segregation and discrimination but their eventual acquisition of wealth and culture would gradually win for them the respect and acceptance of whites”. This vision that Booker T Washington had “practically accepts the alleged inferiority of the Negro race”. W.E.B commented on this process saying it was an attempt, “to educate black boys and girls simply as servants and underlings.”
The speech turned Booker T Washington into a national figure. In his speech he argued that African Americans must embark on self-help. He also argued that education, economic progress, self-help and patience was the perfect way to achieve equality. He accepted racial segregation as a necessary evil that must exist. Washington believed in two key things that lead to racial progress i.e. acquiring the necessary skills and interracial harmony.
In an era where African Americans were caught in the middle of an awkward transition between slavery and unrestricted freedom, few voices could rise above the noise to lead Blacks to a better future. Booker T. Washington, a former slave himself, found that voice. Approaching contemporary issues through a realistic lens, Washington saw Black empowerment in the world of industry rather than in the world of politics. He saw solutions in brotherhood among diverse cultures, a necessity for a nation torn apart by extreme polarization, and understood the importance of training the first generations of free blacks for the workforce. In this sense, Washington established himself as a true visionary.
Regardless of the southern whites who feared that education would give blacks “false notions of equality,” Reconstruction governments began to build a comprehensive public school system. Several black “academies” offered more advanced education and grew into an important network of black colleges and universities. Booker T. Washington was the chief spokesman for the importance of education, having worked his way out of poverty after acquiring an education. He strongly believed in expanding the network of black colleges and institutes since education was vital to the future of their people (Doc 7). Washington urged African Americans to adopt the standards of the white middle class to win the respect of the white population.
Booker T.’s philosophy consisted of economic independence, self-reliance, and higher education for African Americans. Booker T. largely believed that economic empowerment is what was needed for African Americans to be able to advance in many fields. This quote shows what was important to Booker T. and what he believed was key to uplift the African American community, not just financially, but as well as mentally. Washington believed that economic empowerment was essential for racial uplift and advocated for African Americans to focus on practical skills and entrepreneurship to advance within the existing social structure. His Tuskegee Institute became a model for vocational education, training African Americans in trades and agriculture.
He says that "It is at the bottom of life we must begin, and not at the top. Nor should we permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunities" (Washington). Because of Washington's acceptance of inferiority of his race, at the time, economically, he again appeals to the white audience in front of his speech, at the African American expo. He almost apologizes for how low the blacks are starting by saying "Gentlemen of the Exposition, as we present to you our humble effort at an exhibition of our progress, you must not expect overmuch" (Washington). This puts the pressure of equality on the black community, and takes pressure off the white community.
These two individuals have varying views on the education of black Americans. Booker T Washington took the view that proper higher education made for the betterment of the black community. He believed that taking pride in one’s race and becoming responsible citizens is what would help the black Americans against the racial discrimination they received. He also helped to create black higher education. The main difference between these two arguments is that one focused on education while the other focused more on social action.
Booker T. Washington is by far one of the brightest and strongest minds from his time. During his Atlanta Exposition address he displays his intellect masterfully. From Mr. Washington’s use of language he was able to seamlessly piece together a speech that we still analyse to this day. Mr. Washington use of rhetoric explains and enlightens the circumstances of freed African Americans trying to fit into communities in the south. From mistreatment and racism still present in the newly freed people.
He believed that blacks should focus on economic elevation by concentrating their efforts on farming and industry. He thought it would lead to black socio-economic progress, opposed to the outright demand of social equality. Atlanta Exposition Address argues three major points: 1) blacks should focus on industrial education (to accumulate wealth) instead of higher education, 2) give up the insistence of civil rights, and that 3) whites should give black southerners a chance to prove
E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington debated whether to confront or appease racist attitudes in the United States. As segregation regimes took hold in the South in the 1890s with the tacit approval of the rest of the country, many African Americans found a champion in Booker T. Washington and adopted his self-help autobiography, Up from Slavery (1901), as their guide book to improve fortunes. Washington portrayed his own life in such a way as to suggest that even the most disadvantaged of black people could attain dignity and prosperity in the South by providing themselves valuable, productive members of society deserving of fair and equal treatment before the law. A classic American success story, Up from Slavery solidified Washington’s reputation as the most eminent African American of the new century. Yet Washington’s primacy was soon challenged.
Coming back to recruitment-related negotiations, today we were assigned the “Computron Pharmaceuticals” case. The assignment did not aim to help students get familiar with some basic concepts and tactics required in negotiation as in the “Salary Negotiation”. In fact, it focused more on job offer and what should be discussed as well as how to discuss them in the most effective way. I found this assignment really helpful for my job offer interviews as well as salary review in the future. Different from the role we had taken in the fist class (the candidate), in this case, we played the role of the recruiter.
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