African Americans Booker T. Washington (individual)

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  • Created by: Alasdair
  • Created on: 06-05-17 12:54
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  • Booker T. Washington (individual)
    • 1856-1915
    • Famous as educator and for gaining confidence of WAs (white Americans) and moral authority among AAs
    • Believed  in hard work, education and seriousness of purpose would lead AAs to showing true worth, increasing prosperity and gaining white confidence.
    • Hospitality shown by WAs during Reconstruction and obvious fear of domination by poorly educated underclass of agricultural workers convinced him political rights should be abandoned in favour of personal improvements
    • Success of his institute and hopes brought about for gradual improvements without political or social change won support.
    • Success of his institute and hopes brought about for gradual improvement without political or social change won support
    • Andrew Carnegie
      • Millionaire industrialist
      • Gave Washington $600,000 in bonds
      • Ideas state in Atlanta (1865) and autobiography
        • Told AAs to 'dip your bucket' - to take responsibility for their own progress and accept white supremacy
        • Given huge problems of resisting Jim Crow laws and lack of any developed white support for radical change, seemed to many of any to be quite rational and practical.
    • Whitehouse
      • 1901
      • Washington invited
      • By Pres. Theodore Roosevelt
      • Became informal adviser to both Roosevelt and Pres. Taft
    • The following should be factored in when considering impact of Washington on civil rights
      • One study suggests that 'For some twenty years Washington practically ruled Black America'
        • Education was key to emergence of other leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.
      • Cooperation with white leaders, did in end, yield progress in civil rights in 1960s
      • Stress on economic improvement anticipated post-1964 direction of civil rights movement, which sought more economic opportunity and saw key to progress as reducing poverty.
      • Washington promoted some opposition to Jim Crow laws behind scenes and in secret - too concerned about antagonising white South and saw ending long-term progress in education and economic opportunity
      • Like King, criticised by those who sought radical aims and was hugely respected by white community - first AA to achieve fame and respect
    • Later civil rights leaders hard on Washington

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