Black And White Alike Washington example essay topic

Booker T. Washington "Up From Slavery" unabridged During his lifetime, Booker T. Washington was a national leader for the betterment of African Americans in the post-Reconstruction South. He advocated for economic and industrial improvement of Blacks while accommodating Whites on voting rights and social equality. Washington traces his life from his being born a slave to an educator. His writings and speeches, though initially was very influential for his race, later in his life began to be challenged by the new generation of African Americans and died as he did in 1915 with him. In this autobiography of his life, Washington's generalizations and accommodations of the treatment and disregard for the African American by people of the White race was nonchalant, as though he felt that for some reason it was okay or necessary for African Americans to be treated as second class.

As a child Washington recalls what life was like as a slave. Like many slaves he was unaware of neither his exact date a birth nor the year. Unlike many tales that have been told about the lives of slaves, Washington by no means spoke poorly of his life as a child other than being raised in slave quarters. He spoke of the beginning of his life happening during the "most miserable, desolate, and discouraging surroundings", however he made certain to mention that his owners were not "especially cruel" nor responsible for this fact. He describes the lack of knowledge that he had for his family due to the manner in which Africans were brought over. He recalls that his mother's family had suffered greatly on the journey to America from Africa.

His description of the lack of knowledge that blacks have of their family is due to the lack there was of family records and the constant separation of husbands and wives and children because with the Africans being considered property there was no reason to keep them together, comparing his race to a cow or a horse that would not have been kept together with its offspring or its mating partner so why should the blacks since they were thought of in the same capacity be treated differently. Washington recounted this lack of family knowledge as both a blessing and a curse. That unlike the white child, who was expected to do certain things because of his family history the black child was not held to that type of challenge. Washington compared the lives of the Negro children and the lives of the white children as them both being enslaved.

He considered that the white children who were considered free to be enslaved as well because they were deprived the opportunity to learn a hard days work. He felt as though white children were missing something that would in their lives they would need like the ability to neither master a single trade nor learn the spirit of self reliance and self help. Simple daily chores were not performed by the children of whites on some plantations like for girls to learn to cook, sew, or take care of the house, which in that time was a very important attribute. Washington's recollection of his childhood in slavery made it seem as though he was grateful for his life as a slave, that there were no feelings of hate towards the whites who enslaved him and many others. He spoke of the time after the Civil War that when the slaves had been emancipated how the slaves were initially happy but soon realized that they had nothing and nowhere to go. He also mentioned that several of the blacks once they were free did not want to have to leave the slave quarters, how they requested and made deals with their former slave masters in an effort to stay.

Washington discusses his travel from his place of birth in Franklin County, Virginia to Kanawha Valley, West Virginia where his mother's husband had runaway and followed the Federal soldiers to during the War. He discussed how the tediousness and painful undertaking of climbing over mountains in route to West Virginia on foot by both his mother and siblings made them stronger both physically and mentally. That the determination that it provided them he continued to possess and used it to further his aspirations and intentions for his life. The trip itself took several weeks but through several events like finding shelter in an abandoned cabin snakes forced them out, sleeping on the bare ground (though they were accustomed to doing so) without awareness of what may be lurking in the dark they continued on.

Unlike what I thought would have taken place when the ex-slaves left their former owners, Washington described it as a "serious occasion", one that hurt as though one had to leave a part of his family behind and venture out on his own. He explains how many ex-slaves kept up with the members of the "family" they left behind speaking of their former owners. Still a child Washington's life changed from enslaved to free to work for little reward. He gave details to why at first his free life was no better than his enslaved one as a child.

His description of the home that he and his family lived in once reaching West Virginia was no better than the one they lived in on the plantation. How the cabin on the plantation though it did not provide the best conditions it did exist amidst clean pure air and was not crowded closely together amongst the filth of the neighbors which consisted of colored people and the most ignorant and degrade white people. Fortunately unlike some he, hi brother and his stepfather all had jobs at a salt furnace. During this time Washington's desire to become a student grew he yearned to be able to read and little did anyone know this job at the salt furnace would be his beginning. Through repetitive markings made on barrels at the end of each work day his stepfather's boss would write "18" on his barrels. He recalls how proud he was when he learned to recognize that marking anywhere and how ecstatic he was when he was also able to make it.

With no other knowledge of any other letters or numbers he continued to yearn to learn more. With persuasion he convinced his mother to obtain a book and she did. She procured an old copy of "Webster's "blue-back" spelling-book for him and he devoured it. He had overheard someone say that in order to learn to read one would have to learn the alphabet, so without a teacher or any assistance from anyone he taught himself the alphabet over then span of a few weeks he mastered a portion of the alphabet and with his mother's encouragement he was able to continue on to master the entire alphabet. Washington described how excited he was to learn that a colored boy from Ohio had come to Malden, West Virginia where he lived that could read. As strangely as it sounds Washington stated in regards to the young man, "He seems to me to be the one young man in all the world who ought to be satisfied with his attainments".

African Americans during that time were openly impressed by anyone of their own race that could read. They felt that they were if sine sort of special kind. Washington envied this young man and his ability to hold everyone attention at the end of the business day to be able to read the newspaper to a congregation of people who were too ignorant (not of the own account but because of their race) to be able to read it for themselves. Washington further discussed the question of a school for the African American race and who would be the person to teach them but by chance another young black man from Ohio had come to the town and was able to read and had been a soldier and was selected to be the teacher. Washington proudly explains that each family would pay a certain amount of money to the teacher and that the teacher would not live in one place but would board 'round, which meant that he would stay with a different family everyday as to keep the teacher from acquiring any debts he would not be able to pay. Washington's feat to obtain an education was long and hard.

He struggled to work and attend classes some in the day and others at night. His efforts proved successful at age sixteen when he was able to attend the Hampton Institute a school he had heard of only by cha nce in the dark of a coal mine being discussed by two of his fellow co workers. He then became set on the idea of going to Hampton to attend school. His first objective was to obtain enough money to get there and he did so by leaving the salt and coal mines and going to work for a woman by the name of Mrs. Viola Ruffner, a woman he describes as a very strict Yankee woman. He had heard that Mrs. Ruffner had never had a male servant that lasted longer than two or three weeks but also knew that she paid a salary of $5 month. Washington's describes how he was petrified of Mrs. Ruffner at first but later learned great things from her.

These things would later in his life define his thought process his need to have cleanliness and systematic order. He took with him a learning experience as well as his salary. With the help of Mrs. Ruffner Washington was enable to go to school for an hour a day while working for her. This was one of the first relationships that helped Washington to obtain his ideas about people of the White race. After working for Mrs. Ruffner Washington set out to attend the Hampton Institute.

His vivid account of the excitement of the people around him that had spent most of their days in slavery to see one of their own races to attend a boarding school was tremendous. That they were so filled with happiness that they offered him money and handkerchiefs as a symbol of the glee. Just as he had described his parting with his former owners he described his parting with his mother. He set out for Hampton by train but was uncertain of what was to come. He did not have much money nor did he have any means of receiving any funds for this trip at this point. He experienced for the first time what the color of his skin meant after traveling by stage coach through the mountains and was turned away from a hotel simply because he was black.

He stated that his "souls was so bent on reaching Hampton that I did not have time to cherish any bitterness toward the hotel-keeper". Washington described his experience just to get to Hampton as a struggle but not discouraging. He slept under sidewalks, he hungered, hitch hiked, and finally found work on a ship enough to get food for breakfast and because his work pleased the Captain, a white man, he was told that he could continue working for a small amount per day. He continued to work and also to sleep under a sidewalk in an effort to save enough money to reach Hampton. After a short while he found that he had enough money to get there and did with only fifty cents remaining to begin his education. Unlike some that would have given up due to discouragement Washington continued.

Upon reaching Hampton Institute he was filthy and with great hesitation and about an hour's time as explained by him, the head teacher ordered him to take a broom and sweep a room. He was overwhelmed where others would have been offended. He cleaned the room as though he had cleaned it for Mrs. Ruffner and this thoroughness that he had learned about cleaning from his former employer was his "college examination" and he passed with flying colors. The entrance into Hampton Institute was the second stepping stone for Washington into the life that he eventually had. He strive d for excellence. Washington held high regard for General Samuel C. Armstrong another white person that played an important role in his life.

His regard for General Samuel C. Armstrong was so strong that Washington actually cared for him for two of the last six months of his life. Perhaps the good white people that existed in Washington's life was hi reason behind his strong stand to never utter bad word about them. Through all the great things that Washington accomplished at the Hampton Institute he was still responsible for his tuition and room and board. Through his janitorial work throughout the school year he was able to continue through but he did go through some hard times when the money was hard to come by. Especially the time when he had to return home due to the death of his mother, he describes the hardships that he experienced and the dedication that it took for him to earn enough money to get back to Hampton. After ample amount of time he was able to return to Hampton and to finish his education.

He then returned to his home in Malden, West Virginia and began to teach the children and adults alike. He ran both a day and a night school in order to prepare the people to go to Hampton. He later received an invitation to return to Hampton as a teacher himself. He accepted the offer with pride. Later he was offered a position as the head teacher a new school in Tuskegee, Alabama. Washington described Tuskegee as "a town that was found to be 6: 1 in ration of blacks to whites".

He started out teaching in a dilapidated shanty building that when it rained a student had to hold an umbrella over him while he heard the recitations of others. Washington believed just he had while he attended Hampton that black people learned better if they were applying common work habits with it. So he applied all of his teachings to a principle of learning that would benefit the people in the aspect of obtaining greatness in one said thing. Washington's approach on teaching gave the students of Tuskegee more than just an education in regards to books but in the respect of material handling, sewing, farming, brick masonry and so forth. He emphasized the importance of self reliance and how much people appreciate things that they build with their own two hands. The Tuskegee Institute went through many phases and stages from its first days to its existence today.

Washington emphasized the importance of Christmas and its sacredness when it was evident that the people of Tuskegee celebrated only the fact they did not have to work. With the support of philanthropists both black and white alike Washington was able with the help of his teaching and administrative staff to afford the bills that running a school incurred. He set out on great travels throughout the nation collecting money and delivering speeches. The most important of all the speeches that Washington gave is the "Atlanta Compromise". After this speech many African Americans were upset. Some felt that Washington's attempt at speaking for the masses was not the feelings of the masses at all but his own feelings.

Not everyone agreed with his attempt at black success. One of his greatest opponents in the matter was W.E.B. Du Bois. Du Bois expressed his discontent outright. He felt that Washington had sold out, that blacks should not have to settle for second-hand treatment in order to pacify whites. He felt that Washington's address was preposterous and when on to write his feelings which he discussed as the problem of the color-line. Du Bois' dissatisfaction was just the opposite of southern whites.

Most southern whites appreciated Washington's speech because it clearly agreed with their ways of thinking. The way the speech was interpreted by the different races and classes of people left everyone to their own ways of thinking. Washington married three times. A private and complex man, he had the trauma of losing two wives. He married one of his Malden school pupils, Fanny Norton Smith in 1882. Their daughter Portia was born in 1883.

Fanny died in 1884. He then married Olivia Davidson in 1885. A Hampton graduate, Olivia was the assistant principal of Tuskegee. She had great influence on Washington and the development of his Northern philanthropic support. They had two sons, Booker T. Washington Jr. and Ernest Davidson Washington.

Olivia died in 1889. Washington then married Margaret James Murray in 1892. A teacher, Margaret became the Lady Principal of Tuskegee after Olivia's death. Margaret and Booker did not have children. As for Tuskegee Institute, its success was beyond Washington's wildest dreams.

At the time of Washington's death, 34 years after its founding, the school property included 2,345 acres and 107 buildings, with nearly 200 faculty members and more than 1,500 students. Tuskegee Institute had become the world's leader in agricultural and industrial education for the Negro..