Booker T. Washington

Francesca Cricchio

Journal Entry: Booker T. Washington

English 48B

January 10th, 2011

Quote from book: 

“Negro youth must work harder and must perform his tasks even better than a white youth in order to secure recognition. But out of the hard and unusual struggle through which he is compelled to pass, he gets a strength, a confidence, that one misses whose pathway is comparatively smooth by reason of birth and race.” 

Quote from internet:

“During a difficult period of transition for the United States, he did much to improve the overall friendship and working relationship between the races. His work greatly helped blacks to achieve higher education, financial power and understanding of the U.S. legal system.” “Booker T. Washington” biography on Wikipedia. 

Booker T. Washington’s autobiography, “Up From Slavery”, is the real-life tale of Washington’s slow and steady rise from plantation slave during the Civil war, to public figure, spokesperson, and educator to the inferior race of that time. He begins his novel by painting for us the visual of what it truly meant to be a slave. He points out the harsh conditions he had to endure, like traveling several miles each week for work. Washington also points out some of the lessons he learned as a slave that he continued to repeat later on in his life as a free man. For instance, Washington writes, “When freedom came, the slaves were almost as well fitted to begin life anew as the master...” As Washington becomes older he is forced to work with his Stepfather and cannot attend school. Eventually, his strong passion for learning becomes so powerful that he convinces his family to let him go to school under the condition that he still attend work before and after school hours. Later on in the book, Washington speaks at the Atlanta Exposition and gains notable popularity within White and African American communities. His speech strived for African American’s to set aside any political ambitions and reach for lower level economic positions instead. 

In a time when African Americans were concerning themselves with simple things like finding a safe place to make a life and survive, Booker T. Washington was concerning himself with finding a way to bring together the races through economics and education. He argued several things that are still supported and opposed to this day. One of his main arguments was that “success should be measured by the position a person has reached by overcoming obstacles in the way” (665). This is a very sensible and relatable argument. In the story, Washington’s struggle with attending school and work is often talked about. Washington states that he had to wake up at 4 o’ clock in the morning to get to work, and then went to class at 9 a.m., and then back the work after school was out. He could have simply given up on the notion of education, but through hard, grueling work, he created a career for himself that has been referenced throughout history. This dedication is a perfect example of what he preached and believed in. Washington also believed that Whites should not judge African American children with white children until they are caught up in school. He writes in his book that White children are given the support they need to try hard through hundreds of years of ancestry. The pressure of succeeding is much higher, and African American children do not have this support because of the lack of known origin of their grandparents and great-grandparents. He believed that because of this, African American children already had a disadvantage, and so judging them from a young age would not really be considered fair. 

As an influential figure in time, Booker T. Washington brought a vast amount of optimism to African American’s across America. While reading his story, I felt surprisingly refreshed by his ability to constantly look on the bright side of things. Time over time he was able to find the good within something so horrible, and that is why I think he has left such and impact on the world. He did not look to argue with Whites, but instead found an educational and positive way to bring together the races. While others were still fighting a war that had ended, Washington convinced an entire nation to let in a struggling minority that would eventually become completely equal with the rest of the world.