Booker T. Washington was born in West Virginia and his childhood was hopeless. However, since he managed to get a higher education, Washington became the first president of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, the country’s first institution of higher education for blacks. In his biography Up from Slavery, Booker T. Washington outlined the controversy over how the black problem could be resolved, inviting the black population to focus on economic gains through professional education (Washington, 2013). This, in turn, contributed to a decrease in the level of social tension in the South.
Unlike William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, who was born into a free and wealthy family, Washington knew about slavery from his experience, which helped him to make special conclusions. He rightfully believed that thanks to slavery he found the way to a better life. His position was based on the refusal of political struggle and the achievement of goals exclusively by peaceful means, relying on the favor of the whites (Washington, 2013). He thought that the experienced injustices only hardened individualism and thanks to captivity, blacks were better prepared for subsequent progress. One cannot but agree that this was achieved exclusively through education and gradual reforms.
I support this philosophy of conformism and adaptation since only the search for mutual understanding between the two races can prevent interracial conflicts. The temporary refusal of the black population from the struggle in exchange for socio-economic opportunities, which was the main idea of Washington’s ideology, became a compromise in the relationship between the two races. Washington saw the main goal of education in the social and cultural teaching of African Americans, thanks to the emphasis on the acquisition of technical skills. As a pragmatist, I agree that only technical training has been able to guarantee a job and better life for black people
Reference
Washington, B. T. (2013). Up from slavery. Simon and Schuster.