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In Booker T. Washington’s autobiographical memoir, Up From Slavery, he explores several aspects of living during the latter years of the slavery era, as well as the effects education, politics, and race on his life. Throughout the book Washington attempts to convey , what the reader might see as, his philosophy towards the aspects of post slavery . While reading the reader gets a sense of what Washington’s system of beliefs which is that he believes in not simply blaming the white man for the black man’s hardships, but by rather seeking ways of coexisting, and working together to bring unity in this country. He maintained a mantra of hard work being the key to success, and believed in self dependency as also being integral to ones success in this world.
Washington believed in using education as a means of developing marketable skills. In other words skills that would serve more of a practical purpose rather than intellectual one. “(Washington)was against the notion of education as a tool used merely to enable one to speak and write the English language correctly; he wanted school to be a place where one might learn to make life more endurable, and if possible, attractive - he wanted an education that would relieve him of the hard times at home, immediately.” (Internet)While first widely lauded for his philosophy of pursuing vocational, and industrial type educations, it was later the source for much of his criticism. W.E.B Dubois, a one time supporter of Washington’s, later became his biggest critic, stating that the only way for the black community to advance itself was with intellectual education, an extension of his “Talented Tenth” theory. (Internet) Nonetheless, Washington maintained his philosophy , summarized by his well known quote, “Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work."(Internet)
Another aspect of Washington’s philosophy towards the further advancement of the black community in...