Washington marks an epoch in the history of America. He was the greatest Negro leader since Frederick Douglass, and the most distinguished man, white or black, who came out of the South since the Civil War'" (Dagbovie). DuBois was also critical of Washington, however, and felt that he sometimes submitted to the will of whites, and lived between the black and white communities, attempting to get along with both (Dagbovie). Many other historians dispute this theory, feeling Washington maintained a healthy relationship with blacks and whites, and did much good for the black community. Throughout his life, Washington was always concerned with the betterment of blacks and their economic and social condition. He believed education was the central point that would elevate blacks from poverty and despair. Another historian wrote, "Washington's concern was 'that slavery had left the [African-American] ill-prepared to care for himself'. In Washington's opinion, African-Americans needed skills that would help them be 'better prepared for the duties of citizenship'" (Kikas). Tuskegee Institute helped fill the void in black education, and helped prepare thousands of blacks for skilled technical jobs. He wrote of his intentions...
The school succeeded, which is a lifelong testament to Washington's own life work.
Autobiography X Malcolm X's autobiography provides poignant insight into the life of the man, but also offers insight into the historical and cultural context in which he wrote. Malcolm X delves into issues of race, class, gender, and power in the book, showing how these issues are interrelated in his personal life as well as in American society. As such, Malcolm X is very much a quintessential American, whose identity is
Slavery and the Definition of Humanity An Object of Humanity The definition of humanity is one that can be interpreted in many different ways. People all over the world have diverse values, which is probably the main reason why world peace has never been (and most likely never will be) achieved. Perhaps humanity is as simple as the philosophy: "Do unto others as you would want done to you." This is a
Slavery According to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, a slave is a 'person who is the legal property of another or others and is bound to absolute obedience' (Blackburn 262). To be very concise, slavery is the opposite of freedom. A 'liberated' individual possesses all the freedom to enjoy basic human rights of citizenship, profession choice and lifestyle. Not only this, he has all the rights of security of self and property.
Slavery The ethically repugnant institution of slavery in pre-Civil War America manifested itself in the cruel conditions of daily life for thousands of African-Americans. Nothing can quite capture the actual suffering endured by the thousands of slaves that toiled on American plantations before the Civil War. Daily life consisted of up to eighteen hours of work with only monotonous gruel for sustenance, sporadic and often deadly floggings, whippings, and beatings, and
He seems excited at the prospect of marriage and children. I find such excitement perfectly bizarre. How can he even want children? Timothy came to the plantation at the same time I did. While I could sort of understand how his lady would want children -- she knew nothing else -- I cannot understand such a drive in him. May he just has more life left in him than I
autobiography, Frederick Douglass provides both narrative detail and philosophical analysis to paint his personal experiences. As a slave, Douglass owns unique insights into the living conditions, torture, and cruelty meted out to slaves in nineteenth century America. His real-life accounts pair perfectly with his subjectivity: the details support the analysis and vice-versa. Douglass weaves his philosophical stance with his detailed recounting to summarize his experiences, to offer further insight
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now