Booker T Washington \

Booker T Washington \ ...leader for the betterment of African Americans in the post-Reconstruction South. He advocated for economic and industrial improvement of Blacks while accommodating Whites on voting rights and social equality. Washington traces his life from his being born a slave to an educator. His writings and speeches, though initially was very influential for his race, later in his life began to be challenged by the new generation of African Americans and died as he did in 1915 with him. In this autobiography of his life, Washington's generalizations and accommodations of the treatment and disregard for the African American by people of the White race was nonchalant, as though he felt that for some reason it was okay or necessary for African Americans to be treated as second class. As a child Washington recalls what life was like as a slave. Like many slaves he was unaware of neither his exact date a birth nor the year. Unlike many tales that have been told about the lives of slaves, Washington by no means spoke poorly of his life as a child other than being raised in slave quarters. He spoke of the beginning of his life happening during the "most miserable, desolate, and discouraging surroundings", however he made certain to mention that his owners were not "especially cruel" nor responsible for this fact. He describes the lack of knowledge that he had for his family due to the manner in which Africans were brought over. He recalls that his mother's family had suffered greatly on the journey to America from Africa. His description of the lack of knowledge that blacks have of their family is due to the lack there was of family records and the constant separation of husbands and wives and children because with the Africans being considered property there was no reason to keep them together, comparing his race to a cow or a horse that would not have been kept together...