CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Black literature is taught as sociology, as tolerance, not as Serious, rigorous art form _ Toni Morrison African -American history predated the emergence of the United States as an independent country, and African – American literature was similarly in deep roots. Jupiter Hammon who was considered as the first published Black writer in America, he published his first poem named, “An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries”in 1761. Through his poem, he implemented the idea of a gradual emancipation as a way to end slavery.
Black American History had a major role in the development of the present day United States. Slavery was the foundation of the Confederate states economic growth. This essay will focus on Booker T. Washington a man born in Virginia as a slave and with dedication earned a decent education and processed to do good deeds with it. As a slave he would package salt and work in mines and was allowed to walk to school during his free time. Booker T. Washington's accomplishments were founding Tuskegee University and being the first African American to dine in the White House and publish more than forty books.
In 1895, Booker T. WAshington gave the “Atlanta Compromise” speech at the at the Atlanta Cotton Exhibition , he urged African Americans to accept discrimination for the time being and concentrate on elevating themselves through hard work and material prosperity. One of his most famous quotes was “ In all things social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.” He believed in education in the crafts, industrial and farming skills and the cultivation of the virtues of patience, enterprise and thrift. He stated, this would win the respect of whites and lead to African Americans being fully accepted as citizens and integrated into all strata of society. He was willing to trade politics and voting rights for economic rights.
He says that "It is at the bottom of life we must begin, and not at the top. Nor should we permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunities" (Washington). Because of Washington's acceptance of inferiority of his race, at the time, economically, he again appeals to the white audience in front of his speech, at the African American expo. He almost apologizes for how low the blacks are starting by saying "Gentlemen of the Exposition, as we present to you our humble effort at an exhibition of our progress, you must not expect overmuch" (Washington). This puts the pressure of equality on the black community, and takes pressure off the white community.
Washington addressed “It is at the bottom of life we must begin, and not at the top” he was fighting for the rights of African Americans He believed the best way to do this was for African Americans to accept that they are inferior. Booker T. Washington believed that African Americans and whites should be equal and kept “separate as the fingers”. DuBois was a African American man that was born not as a slave but still believed that African Americans and Whites should be equal. In contrast, DuBois believed that African American boys should have the same education as White boys.
Washington delivers the 1895 Atlanta Compromise Speech on September 18, 1895, at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta. In the speech, Booker T. Washington ask African Americans not to be involved with any form of militant protest in order to gain civil rights and equality with the rest of society. In the speech Washington argues: “Our greatest danger is that in the great leap from slavery to freedom we may overlook the fact that the masses of us are to live by the productions of our hands, and fail to keep in mind that we shall prosper in proportion as we learn to dignify and glorify common labour, and put brains and skill into the common occupations of life; shall prosper in proportion as we learn to draw the line between the superficial and the substantial, the ornamental gewgaws of life and the useful. No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. It is at the bottom of life we must begin, and not at the top.
Booker T. Washington believed that in order to eventually achieve racial equality African
Booker T. Washington was an African-American civil rights activist that established Tuskegee University. Booker T. Washington was born a slave and at the age of nine he was freed, thanks to the emancipation that was passed. Washington always wanted to have a good education and eventually be economically successful because most African-Americans didn’t have those privileges. As a result of this Washington worked very hard as a janitor and a teacher of an elementary school to gain his wealth, so he could eventually lead a university. In America, at the time when Washington was “building” his university, former slaves couldn’t get successful because white people didn’t want African-Americans to be better than them and/or that white people were more wealthy from birth; therefore, they were more qualified for a certain job.
While opinions different, one could say they both wanted the best for their African brothers and sisters in the New South. Booker T. Washington was a largely celebrated leader for black civil rights in late 1800’s. His address to the white business leaders at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta was where he laid out his theory for black success in the New South and America as a whole.
Signs of Progress Among the Negroes, by Booker T, Washington. The Century Magazine, January 1900. New York City, New York. 11 pages. Reviewed by Jozlyn Clark Booker T. Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author and leader of the African American community.
Thesis statement: The two great leaders in the black community debating about the issues that face the Negro race and Du Bois gave a compelling argument by using pathos, logos and ethos to create an essay that will appear to all readers. Outline: This essay will showcase the contradicting philosophies between W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Also, paying close attention to the different types of leadership between the two historic leaders in the black community. Both W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T. Washington contributed to and helped shape the future of African Americans.
Around the end of the 19th century, there lived many people wanting equality between races. Two main leaders of the African American community that emerged during that time were W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. All though both of these men were fighting for the same cause, they disagreed greatly with each other relating to the strategies that could be used to create progress in both the social and economic aspects of how African Americans lived and were treated. The two conflicting philosophies of these men are still affecting how we think of racial inequality, social class injustice, and much more; to this day.
The African – American 's Assimilation into White America America is often considered the land of opportunities, a place where people can have a fresh start, a clean slate. America is a land that is made up of immigrants. Over the centuries America has been a place where people dream to live in, however the American dream wasn 't as perfect as believed; there were issues of race inferiority, slavery and social inequality amongst other problems. When a person arrives into a new society he has a difficult task ahead of him- to assimilate into that new society- which includes the economical, cultural, political and social aspects. In the following paper I will discuss how the African American, who came as slaves to America, has fought over the centuries to achieve equality in a white society that discriminated them.
The speech identifies the struggles African Americans faced due to discrimination, hence allowing readers insight into African American lives. The speech is inspirational and powerful due to the speaker exhibiting to the audience his anger regarding
In Martin Luther King’s famous speech, King argued for freedom of African Americans by using metaphors to illustrate the serious effects and tolerance of discrimination in society. To motivate the public to take action, King created a scenario on how the Africans were treated amongst their white peers. “ the negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity” Moreover, King used a metaphor to highlight the ignorance of African Americans by representing their isolation as an “island of poverty”. In addition, he represented the white people’s capability of wealth in the perspective of an African American as being “in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity”. In other words, the effects of