The essay “Industrial Education for the Negro” by Booker T. Washington today constitutes a historical document which provides the reader with an insight into the life of the 19th century United States. In the article, the author insists on the introduction of industrial education to the curriculums of all black students to ensure that they understand the value of labor. The essay exposes a conflict between Washington’s vision for the black people and the reality, the solution would be to train the younger generation in various industries, but it could harm their intellectual development.
As mentioned above, Washington promoted the idea of providing black students with industrial education, which was not widely practiced. Such a situation conflicted with Washington’s idea of the black people’s education since he was certain that it was necessary for the race to lay a foundation by engaging in various industries (Washington 17). Du Bois (42) held an opposite opinion and believed that the success of African Americans depended on the most educated representatives who could lead the mass. Nevertheless, Washington’s conflict solution was to introduce black students to trades, which could give them useful skills and thus establish the foundation for the advancement of all African Americans. Similarly, T. Thomas Fortune (220) stated that the hard work of black individuals would guarantee equality to the entire race. At the same time, Washington (20) stressed that industrial education should not restrict the intellectual development of students and instead had to be only an addition to the existing curriculum. Yet, it is still possible to consider the adoption of industrial education as capable of negatively impacting student’s ability to learn traditional subjects such as mathematics effectively.
Thus, “Industrial Education for the Negro” by Booker T. Washington contains a conflict between the author’s vision and the real world. Washington believes that the situation with a lack of African Americans with trades harms the black people’s advancement in society. Nevertheless, the solution to the conflict through the provision of industrial education to students can limit their capacity to learn sciences and other disciplines requiring considerable intellectual effort.
Work Cited
Du Bois, William Edward Burghardt. “The Talented Tenth.” The Negro Problem: A Series of Articles by Representative American Negroes of Today, edited by Booker T. Washington, J. Pott, 1903, pp. 211–234.
Fortune, T. Thomas. “The Negro’s Place in American Life at the Present Day.” The Negro Problem: A Series of Articles by Representative American Negroes of Today, edited by Booker T. Washington, J. Pott, 1903, pp. 12–17.
Washington, Booker T. “Industrial Education for the Negro.” The Negro Problem: A Series of Articles by Representative American Negroes of Today, edited by Booker T. Washington, J. Pott, 1903, pp. 7–30.