Booker T Washington was an astonishing individual who shaped the world in many ways, from his unorthodox views on racism and segregation to his focus on training and educating African Americans.
Washington was born on April 5th, 1856, to a life of slavery in Virginia. His mother, a slave, worked as a cook for the plantation owner, James Burroughs, while his father was an unknown white man who was most likely from a nearby plantation. He grew up in a humble one-room log cabin, where as a child he would carry 100 pound sacks of grain to and from the plantation mill. He was often beaten for not completing his job as well as his plantation owner liked, which was unreasonable due to the fact that Washington was only a small boy doing a man’s work. Throughout his years at the plantation he admired the education system and aspired to one day be able to attend school. However, after the Civil War, Booker and his mother moved to Malden, Virginia where he began working to help sustain his mother and step-father, a …show more content…
Washington passed one hundred years ago, his contributions to society are still prevalent today. His immense love for education allowed him to actively participate in the growth of African Americans in the south. His involvement and persistence in founding the Tuskegee Institute, furthered the African American education and gave them useful training for the American workforce. He was essential in the changes being made throughout society for an improvement in relationships among races. His work; political, educational, as well as his literature, greatly impacted the African American understanding of achieving “higher education, financial power, and understanding of the U.S legal system.” Washington is most notable for his contributions in aiding African Americans’ attaining the necessary skills needed to spark the fight that would arise in the Civil Rights Movement, which led to the passing of important civil rights laws, still in use
Washington was born on April 5th, 1856, to a life of slavery in Virginia. His mother, a slave, worked as a cook for the plantation owner, James Burroughs, while his father was an unknown white man who was most likely from a nearby plantation. He grew up in a humble one-room log cabin, where as a child he would carry 100 pound sacks of grain to and from the plantation mill. He was often beaten for not completing his job as well as his plantation owner liked, which was unreasonable due to the fact that Washington was only a small boy doing a man’s work. Throughout his years at the plantation he admired the education system and aspired to one day be able to attend school. However, after the Civil War, Booker and his mother moved to Malden, Virginia where he began working to help sustain his mother and step-father, a …show more content…
Washington passed one hundred years ago, his contributions to society are still prevalent today. His immense love for education allowed him to actively participate in the growth of African Americans in the south. His involvement and persistence in founding the Tuskegee Institute, furthered the African American education and gave them useful training for the American workforce. He was essential in the changes being made throughout society for an improvement in relationships among races. His work; political, educational, as well as his literature, greatly impacted the African American understanding of achieving “higher education, financial power, and understanding of the U.S legal system.” Washington is most notable for his contributions in aiding African Americans’ attaining the necessary skills needed to spark the fight that would arise in the Civil Rights Movement, which led to the passing of important civil rights laws, still in use