Booker T. Washington was born into slavery, even though his father was a white man. He was one of the few black leaders in his time. He changed the course in history  in 1895 by giving his famous speech in Atlanta. His speech mainly focused on taking it one step at a time to stop segregation to all African Americans. He urged African Americans not to fight segregation and take a first step to equal rights, not full equality. He also convinced many wealthy whites to donate money to black politicians, communities and other institutions.

Washington did what he did because he felt that blacks should have patience if they really wanted full equality. He felt that African Americans would get what they desired as the time passes. He felt violence and protesting was of no use, but with time everything will come together for the blacks. His motive was to seek full equality for blacks in the long run. He said ” patience, industry, thrift, and usefulness” will eventually lead African Americans to get they equality they desired. He believed that if the African Americans could show the country how understanding they were to the situation, they would be apart of American society.

Two questions:

1. What reasons did you use to convince white men to donate money to the black communities ?

2.Why did you emphasize sacrificing political power for the youth of African Americans ?