Booker T. Washington and Education

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Booker T. Washington and Education

Throughout the life of Booker T. Washington expressed in his autobiography, Up From Slavery, one element has remained the same through his influences, education, public speaking, and teaching of others. This is the fact that one cannot succeed solely on a “book” education, but must accompany this with that of an “industrial” education as well. He believed that with this type of education, the black man could provide necessary services not only for himself, but also for those in his community as well. Washington was born on a slave plantation in either 1858 or 1859 in Franklin County, Virginia. He grew up with his mother, his brother John, and his sister Amanda. They lived in an extremely small log cabin, which was typical for a slave family. His father was thought to be a white man who lived on a nearby plantation. Washington knew nothing of him, which was also very typical of many slaves. Washington’s mother was the plantation cook, which meant she did not have a great deal of time to raise the children. The white men that gave them orders raised them. Due to the fact that he was only a small child during the times of slavery, Washington could perform few jobs. These were little jobs such as cleaning the yards, carrying water to the men and women to the fields, and taking corn to mill. Although small, these jobs gave Washington the base of his industrial education, which shaped his views for the rest of his life. After the end of the Civil War, Washington’s mother moved his family to Malden, West Virginia. This is where her husband, who also was Washington’s sister’s father, lived. Although he wanted to attend school, Washington worked in the local salt mines to help support his family. Duri...

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...ecause he had left such a strong foundation at Tuskegee. This gave him the opportunity to meet many people such as the President of Harvard, the Postmaster General, the Secretary to the President, many United States ambassadors, and Presidents Cleveland and McKinley. Although he failed to mention much information on the subject, Washington was married twice, first to Miss Fannie M. Smith, and second to the earlier mentioned Miss Olivia A. Davidson. He had three children. Their names were Booker, Ernest, and Portia. Booker T. Washington had two goals in his life. These were to receive an education of both books and industry and to utilize this education to teach others. Through his teachings, the school he started, and that of his speeches, he gave both blacks and whites the insight of living in a successful community. For this, his legacy will not soon be forgotten.

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