How Are Frederick Douglass And Booker T Washington Alike

Imagine a situation in which you were enslaved, yet had done nothing wrong and would never be given the opportunity to become free. Such a situation presented two slaves, Fredrick Douglass and Booker T. Washington. Though both were cruelly met with similar situations, each handled them slightly differently. Fredirick Douglass was an ex-slave who escaped from his plantation while Booker T. Washington was a black school teacher who prioritizes his fellow African Americans as well as those targeted by the US Rebels. Although we can all see that both men led tough lives, the ways they lived them remain different for 3 reasons: they were enslaved differently, what they did afterwards was different, and they came to education differently.

The first

Washington and Fredrick Douglass were different because they lived differently. While Washington may have missed ample hardship as a slave, he made up for it in a hard, toilful, freedom. Shortly after he was freed, Washington moved in with his stepfather. The family's money was tight and Washington was required to do the only work he could find, working in salt and coal mines. By doing this, Booker was given the opportunity to move in with the owner of the coal mine. He instantly learned valuable skills of cleanliness and hard work. Finally, Washington made it his life ambition to start Tuskegee Institute, a private school for blacks. This he did, despite the sorrow, labor and suffering he endured. This means that, despite a decent slavery, Washington worked through pain and struggled to educate himself and others. While Washington turned more of his focus to educating others, Douglass was more intent on getting life set up for his family. The book, Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, ends relatively quickly following his escape from slavery, yet it is still clear what he did. Douglass married his betrothed and then moved to Bedford, Massachusetts. There, he worked hard to make money for his new family and set them up for a new life of freedom. Although both men worked hard to accomplish a task, we see that Washington works hard to help educate others while Douglass has to battle to be in a good spot for his