Booker T Washington's Achievements

Introduction :
Booker T. Washington is name that doesn 't leave anybody indifferent, some are praising him for is life work dedicated to the advancement of the Afro-American, while another point as some shortcoming into his achievements. Indeed he is an intriguing character that isn 't exempt of some ambiguity regarding his vision for the present and future his people. In this essay the emphasis will be put on his industrial program of education and some of political stand to try to explain and conceptualize his vision for the advancement of the black race in America. Booker T. Washington is born in slavery in 1856 and it is really important to point out that he was a first hand witness of the shortcoming of the reconstruction era. Firstly, …show more content…
Washington was born into slavery but he doesn 't hold grudge against the ' 'peculiar institution ' '. In fact, he his not blaming the people for it but the instution that were forcing them to adopt to a set a rule.(1p40). Indeed, it is really important to understand this way of thinking because it will reflect in some of his future statement, the focus is never on the group but always on the individual. He is fully aware of the racism in the South and even admit that : ' ' with few exception, the Negro youth must work harder and must perform his tasks even better than a white youth in order to secure recognition ' '.(p58)But gladly for the black people it his trough struggle and effort that the black people will attain higher standard.(1) In fact, slavery was also a burden a for the white people according to Booker T. Washington, leaving them in a spirit of self-reliance and self-helpout. Yes, the ' 'peculiar institution ' ' was terrible for the black people but this long road out of it will be a way to redeem the race and the hard struggle will be witness of the grandeur of the ' 'Negro ' '. Mr. Washington, by is youth is under the firm impression that the past shouldn 't be taken as an excuse for not living up to the standard of the white man. The Afro-American need to create their own legacy and be able to become useful in the American …show more content…
Washington industrial education program, there 's a lot of ideologies incorporated in it. Indeed, from the end of the 19th century to his dead in 1915, he was the most proeficient speaker of the Afro-American. It is in this role that the conceptualization of his program into the political sphere led to some shortcoming in ambiguity in his vision. The racial uplift concept that is tight to his live work rely a lot on a race definition of the world. It is difficult to say if this way of thinking is the product of his time in slavery or by the social climate prevailing in the South during the reconstruction, but it must be said that it is problematic on a lot of level mainly because Booker T. Washington seem unable to conceptualize the advancement of his people without the inevitable comparaision to the white race. While it must not be understated that he did in fact helped in a lot of way to solidified black institution across america, is reliance on this concept tend to put the black people in a position where they needed the white people to accept themselves in order to feel equal. He his openly stating that he need them to attaint new heights: ' ' How often I have wanted to say to white students that they lift themselves in proportion as they help to lift other, and the more unfortunate the race, and the lower in the scale of civilization, the more does one raise one 's self by giving assistance.”(p85)But we must also