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Compare And Contrast Frederick Douglass And Booker T Washington

1353 Words6 Pages

And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history – money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery – the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” C.S. Lewis wrote these empowering and insightful words of wisdom which actively play a role in these autobiographies. These autobiographies revolve around the lives of different men with similar circumstances. They are stories of drive and determination. They are about men who were held down in a place of racial oppression until they rose above the occasion and became tenacious workers. These men were Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass. Both of their lives took place during the 1800s …show more content…

It was a most terrible spectacle. I wish I could commit to paper the feelings with which I beheld it” (Douglass 4). Douglass witnessed severe punishment of fellow slaves, including his family members, and he experienced the pain firsthand.
Both of these men were confined in slavery and were treated unequal to other
Americans. However, Washington received the less violent side of slavery as he was treated with less bloody, brutal acts. He was not treated as harshly as Douglass.
In addition, Washington and Douglass articulated different perspectives on slaveholders.
Living in different time periods and their vastly different masters led to their individual opinions on slaveholders. Washington did not possess severely harsh opinions of the slaveholders. He believed they participated in only what they knew. He did not blame his possible white father either. He expresses the following: “But I do not find especial fault with him. He was simply another unfortunate victim of the institution which the Nation unhappily had engrafted upon it at that time” (Washington 2). Even though it was a trying situation, and a challenging life,
Washington chose to purposefully live without holding anything against those who hurt …show more content…

As Washington grew older he also spoke words of wisdom around the world, including his famous speech that is titled The Atlanta
Exposition Address. Washington poured much of himself into the community and gave himself away for the better of the African-American race.
Douglass was born long before Washington and was known as an abolitionist. His role led him to share of the atrocities of slavery so that it would end. When he escaped from slavery, he traveled to New Bedford. As he wandered the streets, he came to the realization that it is entirely possible for the American people to live abundant lives without slaves. He became passionate about bringing an end to slavery. He began working and eventually subscribed to the Liberator, a newspaper regarding the status of slavery. He asserted that “Its sympathy for my brethren in bonds – its scathing denunciations of slaveholders – its faithful exposures to slavery – and its powerful attacks upon the upholders of the institution – sent a thrill of joy through my soul, such as I had never felt before” (Douglass 69). He illustrates that

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