Who's Interest
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Posted By: orok edem on March 11, 2011 Who’s Interest? Critique: Washington, Booker T. 1895. “Atlanta Compromise”: The black man’s place in society. Thesis: The success of the black race in the southern states would depend on two factors, first of all the black race should recognize and accept their second class status in society and secondly the white race should recognize that only by their goodwill can the black race survive. Booker T. Washington: Booker Taliaferro was born a mulatto slave in Franklin Country on 5th April, 1856. His father was an unknown white man and his mother, the slave of James Burroughs, a small farmer in Virginia. He became an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. Washington Attended Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute and also attended the college at Wayland Seminary after working manual jobs. After returning to Hampton as a teacher, in 1881 he was named as the first leader of the new Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. He was the dominant figure in the African American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915. His 1895 Speech known as the “Atlanta Compromise” brought him to national prominence and is the subject of this critique. Background: following the civil war that ended 1865 and the beginning of the reconstruction period in the south that ended in 1877, blacks although granted freedom by the thirteenth amendment (prohibiting slavery) and fourteenth amendment (establishing citizenship) still faced extreme hardship. Being free for the first time, majority of the black slaves remain on their master’s plantation to work as sharecroppers and those who left to find industrial work were accused by whites of taken their jobs because of the cheap labor they provided. The white southern society saw the end of slavery as a great blow to their agricultural based economy and in response created laws (poll tax, literacy test and property ownership) that disenfranchised the black population in an effort to destroy any power or political base by suppressing the black vote. In instances where these laws could not be enforced, intimidation in form of lynching was used to achieve their aim. By 1895 the black population in the south were still facing oppression and fighting for social justice. Context of Speech: In 1895, Booker T Washington gave his famous Atlanta Compromise Speech to a mostly dominant white group of business men and entrepreneurs during the cotton states and international exposition. He famously argued that the success of the black race depended not on their fight for equality or social justice but on the understanding of their place in society as second class citizens and their undying loyalty and support for their former slave masters. Washington claimed that because the newly freed slaves were “ignorant and inexperienced” in the complications of governance, they should respect the status quo (delegating decision making on social issues to the ruling white class while working jobs similar to one’s during slavery that have traditionally been relegated to blacks) and concentrate on “cultivating a healthy relationship with the southern white man”. Washington argued to his white guest about the economic benefits that could be achieved by creating an atmosphere that incorporated and accommodated the large black labor force. Washington’s speech was highly accepted by the white crowd because of his confirmation that the white race was superior and his message to his own people about refraining from pushing social issues and total obedience to law was in line with their agenda. Cons of argument: Although Booker T. Washington’s contribution to the black community as a whole cannot be ignored based on the arguments of his Atlanta Compromise speech; his bases for the arguments are flawed and have to be pointed out. Considering that in 1895, even after the constitution had been amended to guarantee freedom of slaves and establish both citizenship and voting rights for minorities, blacks in the south were still facing laws (Jim Crow, poll tax) that hindered them from participating in governance, fighting racism (lynching’s and segregation) that prevented them from owning property or getting real jobs and for many stuck in a new form of slavery called share cropping. In a period were others like W.E.B. Dubois argued for a black agenda and avenues for the black population to get higher education to create a class capable of participating in governance to shape policies that push social issues and equality, Washington’s call for accepting the status quo seemed a step back for progress. Dubois argued that Washington’s view “that the black man’s part to success did not lie in his attempt to strive for the top but to accept his position at the bottom as purely a labor force” only caused the disfranchisement of the Negro, the legal creation of a distinct status of Civil inferiority for the Negro and the steady withdrawal of aid from institutions for the higher training of the Negro. Most importantly Dubois raised an important question that struck at the foundation of Washington’s argument that blacks should accept the “status quo” to achieve success by asking: ‘Is it possible, and probable, that nine millions of men can make effective progress in economic lines if they are deprived of political rights, made a servile caste, and allowed only the most meager chance for developing their exceptional men?’ Conclusion: Although Washington’s argument for a peaceful and orderly society might be seen to favor blacks in as much as the violence perpetrated against them would reduce if they observed the status quo, the reality of things meant that if policies in the southern states were not made to enforce the fourteenth amendment that guaranteed the rights of every individual, a large amount of the black population would have remained oppressed. The right to participate in governance that affects individuals is one of any group’s most important rights because issues that concern their welfare can be tabled and addressed. Finally, Washington’s use of the analogy “cast down your bucket were you are” a reference to the ship wrecked crew stuck at sea and asking for help with drinking water, is inaccurate because recognizing that even if the ship is surrounded by water it is not drinkable because of the salt. To attribute the situation of the black population to the ship crew is faulty when you consider that to “cast down your bucket were you are” in the case of the black population according to Washington is to accept the status quo, the white populations unwillingness to accept and accommodate the black race means success (measured in advancement of blacks) would be rear or limited. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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orok edem
From atlanta, GA Clark Atlanta University class of 2013 Member Since March 2011 |
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