Booker Taliaferro Washington was born into slavery on April 5, 1856 and died November 14, 1915. Education was always very important to Booker; however, it was next to impossible for a colored person to obtain an education, so Booker had to go to great lengths for his eventual knowledge. Later, Washington became an educator and reformer, an author, and the first president and principal developer of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University). Booker T. is remembered as the most influential African American leader of the late 19th century and early 20th century.
Booker’s motivation for his accomplishments was the desire for all African Americans to achieve education and excellence. Washington believed than in order to be heard they had to take the correct steps. His mentality was that a slave cannot go straight to the top of the chain without first going through stages. But Booker knew how difficult it was for a colored person to get a proper education, become economically independent, and climb the ladder of success, having done so himself. So his goal was to make reaching these goals easier. Booker once said, ‘The wisest of my race understand that the agitation of questions of social equality is the extremest folly and that progress in the enjoyment of all the privileges that will come to us must be the result of severe and constant struggle rather than artificial forcing. The opportunity to earn a dollar in a factory just now is worth infinitely more than to spend a dollar in an opera house.’ This shows that his ultimate goal was for equality, but he believed it would happen in due time. He felt it was better to stay separated from whites rather than attempt immediate desegregation so long as black countrymen and women were granted access to economic progress, education, and justice under U.S. courts. These are the things he was really trying to move toward.
Booker T. Washington had many accomplishments. Amongst these are traveling hundreds of miles to acquire an education in order to later benefit others, founding Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in 1881 and the National Negro Business League two decades later, advising Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, and being an overall incredibly influential person of his time whether it be the cause of his actions or the words of his speeches and books. Washington’s own experience and the respect he gained from elite parties, such as Theodore Roosevelt, played a critical role in the progressive steps he took. He was able to become an educator to help others like him reach a place of independence and advancement. Booker was seen as a brilliant advisor on racial matters by Roosevelt and his successor, Taft, agreed when he was in office.
Washington’s legacy is one of hope. Through his work in education he was able to provide thousands of African Americans with a new future. Although his views were not supported by everyone, his emphasis on economic self-determination and elevating oneself, was what he saw as the path to winning the respect of whites, which would lead to African Americans being fully accepted as citizens and integrated into society. This view was accepted by many people who would go on to better themselves in hopes for a better future. Booker T. also left behind a tremendously improved Tuskegee Institute with over 1,500 students, a faculty of 200 and an endowment of nearly $2 million to continue to carry on its work. Booker T. Washington will forever be remembered as a key player in the advancement of African American’s roles in society.
