We shall prosper in proportion as we learn to
dignify and glorify labor and put brains and skill
into the common occupations of life.
Washington and the Tuskegee
Institute (Upper Intermediate)
In 1881, Booker T. Washington was
asked to direct a small school in Tuskegee, Alabama. When Washington first
went to Tuskegee, the task before him seemed impossible. The school had no
property. Classes met in an old, rented church building. The school
had almost no money. Its first year, only $2,000 had been allowed to pay
all expenses--purchase materials, pay rent, and pay teachers. Its students
were poor and could not afford high tuition. And few teachers were willing
or able to work for the low salaries Tuskegee could pay.
But Washington was not easily discouraged. First, he started raising money.
Within a few weeks, he got a loan that allowed him to purchase an old plantation.
The first students at Tuskegee learned valuable trade skills by turning the
plantation into a school campus. They learned carpentry skills by building
classrooms, dormitories, and a chapel. They learned painting by painting
the newly-built structures. They learned farming skills by growing most of
the food eaten at the school. They learned landscaping by caring for the
school grounds. In just a few short years, the plantation turned into a beautiful
campus.
Washington also worked hard to recruit qualified teachers. Less than two
years after the school began, he had increased the faculty from four members
to nine. The student body also grew rapidly. Soon after its beginning, Tuskegee
enrolled not only African-American, but also Native American students. As
the school's reputation grew, students came from the West Indies, South America,
African, and Asia.
Washington and Tuskegee were not unopposed. Washington urged students at
Tuskegee to work hard and gain the respect of the white community because
of their work. He also said that African-Americans should not demand to be
given the same rights as white citizens. Some critics said that African-Americans
would never gain respect only by working. W. E. B. Du Bois was one of
Washington's most vocal critics. Du Bois referred to the school as the "Tuskegee
Machine." He said that Washington was turning African-Americans into a servant
class.
In spite of the criticism the institution received, Tuskegee Institute became
known around the world as one of the best trade schools for African-American
students in the United States. Washington also earned the respect of both
black and white Americans. One writer has said that Washington "spent his
life preaching hard work and perseverance. By practicing what he preached,
he turned Tuskegee into a model for other black schools and had a major impact
on future black
education."1
1 Altman, Susan.
Extraordinary Black Americans. Chicago: Children's Press, 1989.
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What obstacles did Washington face
in the early years of Tuskegee Institute?
How did Washington obtain property
for Tuskegee's campus?
What sorts of skills did students
at Tuskegee learn?
Who was Washington's most outspoken
critic?
What two traits is Washington best
known for?
For Discussion . . .
When Washington became head of Tuskegee,
the task of developing the school looked impossible. How did Washington turn
an "impossible" task into a "possible" one? Have you ever faced a task that
looked impossible? How did you complete the task? Based either on Washington's
experience or your own, what advice would you give to others who face
"impossible" tasks?
What kinds of skills did students
learn as they participated in the Tuskegee transformation? In modern terms,
Tuskegee served as one of the largest "hands-on" learning projects of the
early twentieth century. From the Tuskegee experiment, what observations
can you make about hands-on learning? What are its advantages? What are its
possible disadvantages? Do you think a project like Tuskegee would be feasible
today? Why or why not?
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