How Does A Owned Enslaved Race Best Obtain Financial And...

How does a formerly enslaved race best obtain financial and social equality? This question has predominated African American culture since the end of the Civil War and the subsequent ushering in of the Reconstruction Period. Many well-known authors have explored the issue, some of the most prolific of which include Booker T. Washington, Charles Chesnutt, and W.E.B. Dubois. While all of these three men aspired to see the advancement of their people, each had his own unique mode and method of attempting to actualize this achievement. Washington felt that his people should earn their rightful place in a culture predominated by racism through the patient merit of their own individual actions. In his autobiographical work Up From Slavery, he emphasizes the many white people who treated him with fairness and kindness, including the founder of Hampton, General Samuel C. Armstrong, without whom many former slaves such as Washington would never have received education and training in profitab le trade. As a result of his experience at Hampton, Washington â€Å"advised his fellow African Americans to accept, at least temporarily, the political status quo and to work gradually to change it by proving themselves valuable, productive members of society who deserved fair treatment before the law; [and] eventually, they could claim their civil rights† (548). In the interim, Washington worked tirelessly to educate white America on the history and potential of his people through his manyShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesperspectives on the past) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-4399-0269-1 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-1-4399-0270-7 (paper : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-1-4399-0271-4 (electronic) 1. History, Modern—20th century. 2. Twentieth century. 3. Social history—20th century. 4. World politics—20th century. I. Adas, Michael, 1943– II. American Historical Association. D421.E77 2010 909.82—dc22 2009052961 The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard