Booker
T. Washington was born on this day, April 5, in 1856. He was born into slavery,
but learned to read and write while working at manual labor jobs. At age 16 he
went to Hampton University in Virginia, and at age 25 he was named as the first
leader of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, famous for having the well-known
scientist George Washington Carver on its faculty. Now Tuskegee University,
Washington's vision for the school championed vocational training as a means for
black self-reliance. The school gave black youth valuable skills; Washington's
theory was, that by providing these skills, African Americans would play their
part in society and this would lead to acceptance by white Americans. He
believed that African Americans would eventually gain full Civil Rights by
showing themselves to be responsible, reliable American citizens. According
to its website, Tuskegee Institute believes in "personal qualities of
honesty, self-reliance, hard work, and risk-taking."
In 1895 Washington Delivered a
Speech at the Cotton
States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, where he noted 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." This is true for
every human being.
Washington was granted an honorary Masters of Arts degree from Harvard
University in 1896 and an honorary Doctorate degree from Dartmouth College in
1901. When his autobiography, Up
From Slavery, was published in 1901, it became a bestseller and was one
of the major influences to Marcus Garvey in the founding of the UNIA in Jamaica.
He was also the first African-American ever invited to the White House as the
guest of a President – which led to a scandal for the inviting President,
Theodore Roosevelt.
- "Think about it: We went into slavery pagans; we came out Christians.
We went into slavery pieces of property; we came out American citizens. We
went into slavery with chains clanking about our wrists; we came out with
the American ballot in our hands...
- "Notwithstanding the cruelty and moral wrong of slavery, we are in a
stronger and more hopeful condition, materially, intellectually, morally,
and religiously, than is true of an equal number of black people in any
other portion of the globe." – from Up From Slavery
According to
the mantra of today's liberal left, it is the racism of white people - and not
the personal choices of blacks - that is responsible for the high rate of
illegitimacy, drug abuse, HIV infections and criminal acts that distinguish them
from other racial and ethnic groups.
"I have never had much patience with the multitudes of people who are
always ready to explain why one cannot succeed. I have always had high regard
for the man who could tell me how to succeed."
“Political activity alone cannot make a man free. Back of the ballot, he
must have property, industry, skill, economy, intelligence, and character.”
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