Booker T Washington

Date of Birth:

05-Apr-1856

Nationality:

United States

Profession:

Educator

Born in slavery, Booker T. Washington put himself in school and became a teacher after the Civil War. In 1881, he founded the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in Alabama (now called Tuskegee University), which grew very large and focused on training Native Americans in agriculture. A mentor and political writer, Washington fought the intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois over the best ways to lift races. At an early age, Booker went to work carrying sacks of grain in a planting hole. Hitting a hundred pound sacks has been a difficult task for a young boy, and he was beaten occasionally for not doing his job well. Booker's first disclosure in education came from outside the schoolhouse near the library; she looks inside, and she sees kids her age sitting in the windows and reading books. He wanted to do what those kids did, but he was a slave, and it was illegal to teach slaves to read and write. In 1866, Booker T. Washington got the job of owning the home of Viola Ruffner, the wife of coal miner Lewis Ruffner. Mrs. Ruffner was known for being very strong in his servants, especially the boys. But he saw something in Washington - his maturity, ingenuity and integrity - and he quickly drew closer to her. During the two years she worked for him, she understood her desire for education and allowed her to attend school for one hour a day during the winter months. She died November 14, 1915.

AUTHOR DETAILS

Booker T Washington

Books by Booker Washington

QUOTES BY Booker Washington

Of all forms of slavery there is none that is so harmful and degrading as that form of slavery which tempts one human being to hate another by reason of his race or color

There is no escape — man drags man down, or man lifts man up.

I pity from the bottom of my heart any nation or body of people that is so unfortunate as to get entangled in the net of slavery.

Providence so often uses men and institutions to accomplish a purpose.

I learned the lesson that great men cultivate love, and that only little men cherish a spirit of hatred. I learned that assistance given to the weak makes the one who gives it strong; and that oppression of the unfortunate makes one weak

Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him

Too often the educational value of doing well what is done, however little, is overlooked. One thing well done prepares the mind to do the next thing better. Not how much, but how well, should be the motto. One problem thoroughly understood is of more value than a score poorly mastered.

We must reinforce argument with results

The individual who can do something that the world wants done will, in the end, make his way regardless of his race.

We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary