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  • Essay / Analysis of Booker T. Washington's Atlanta Compromise Speech

    Table of ContentsAuthorSummary and AnalysisConclusionAuthorBooker T. Washington, he was born in 1856 and lived until 1915. Unlike Carnegie, Booker only achieved 59 years old. a slave in Virginia and he was educated at the Hampton Institute.” This institute taught Washington skills rather than educational studies. In 1881, Booker established the same school but in Alabama, which was called Tuskegee Institute. In 1895, he was invited to give a speech at the Cotton States Exposition in Atlanta, which was later called by journalists "The Atlanta Compromise Speech." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay This was a speech in which he noted that he tolerated social segregation. No specific audience was specified, but everyone at the exhibit and since it was on television, the audience was predominantly African American because they were giving their opinions on segregation and they wanted hear what he had to say. Booker T. Washington argued that blacks and whites should support each other because in the future they need each other. Washington states that "we are in danger of overlooking the fact that the masses of us must live by the productions of our hands and of failing to bear in mind that we will prosper to the extent that we learn to honor and glorify common labor." ". Washington claims that whites and blacks do the same work, in the same way, so why can't they unite and work together. Washington wants to bring unity between the two races. Summary and Analysis Booker describes how white education can help black people do their jobs for them. He says, “Aid and encourage them as you do on this land, and with education of head, hand, and heart, you will find that they will buy your surplus land.” It should be remembered that Washington attended a vocational school that taught job skills rather than education. With the above statement, Washington is asking for help from white people so that they can help black people gain job skills. He thinks these kinds of skills are more important than teaching skills. Washington says that “attending a political convention or speaking about stumping was more appealing than starting a dairy farm or truck garden.” He suggests that attending a political convention was “better” than starting your own business for people who value education. Washington would rather start a dairy farm or truck garden with the skills he learned in vocational school. This is what he wants to make clear to his African-American compatriots. They should learn to work with their hands, and the only way is for white people to help them learn. What's in it for white people? Why would they just help African Americans when most of them don't get along with them and would prefer they work in their fields? Washington gives them an incentive, he claims, “that they will run your factories.” He wants white people to help African Americans so that when the time comes, they will be ready to run the factories for them and manage their jobs for them. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayConclusionEven though Washington thought he was helping the African-American community, many black intellectuals did not like this speech at all. They thought it was primarily aimed at southern whites, because it was..