Education of blacks in african-american autobiographies

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Historical Overview

3. Education in the Autobiography of Booker T. Washington

4. Different Concepts of Black Education
4.1. Booker T. Washington’s Idea of Black Education
4.2. W.E.B. Du Bois and the Concept of The Talented Tenth
4.3. Comparison of Du Bois’ and Washington’s Educational Policies

5. Works Cited

1. Introduction

When reading African-American autobiography one is likely to notices that there are several recurring themes. One might conclude that these are issues of special interest to the authors. A major topic that occurs in a number of autobiographies is that of education. This paper will try to analyze the role of education in the process of the emancipation of the black race.

Before one looks at what can be found about the issue of education of blacks in African-American autobiography one should be familiar with the historical and cultural context in which it occurs. This is why the paper will try to provide a brief historical overview of the development of education in America at the times before, during and after the civil war.

After having established the historical background the paper will try to trace the occurrences of the theme of education in the autobiography of Booker T. Washington and the thesis The Talented Tenth by W.E.B. Du Bois and illustrate its importance to the authors. In doing so an attempt will be made to present the reasons and intentions of the authors that made them deal with education during their lives.

Special attention will be paid to the efforts of Booker T. Washington to establish a schooling system for blacks as well as to Du Bois’ concept of the ‘Talented Tenth’ and its reasons. Although both were actively sought to improve the education of African Americans and thereby their social status they did not share the same concepts of how this were to be achieved and they pursued different educational policies. The two approaches will be analyzed and compared to each other. Finally a conclusion will be drawn assessing the importance of their achievements in the ongoing fight of African Americans for equal rights and equal chances.

2. Historical Overview

Until the end of the Civil War most blacks in the southern states were slaves and had to work in the agricultural sector, therefore education was of almost no importance and consequently no system that could or would provide education for blacks was in place. At the end of the Civil War when slavery was abolished by means of the 13th amendment the freed slaves sought education for themselves and their children.

Within a period of a few years a public schooling system was established in the southern states. Some of the newly opened schools were funded by the Freedmen’s Bureau, an organization that was formed by the government during the period of Reconstruction and the purpose of which was among others to integrate the former slaves into the American society.^[1] These schools were subsequently called ‘Freedmen’s schools’. Although racial separation was still in place since there were usually separate schools for blacks and whites the blacks were now given the opportunity to receive basic education. Furthermore a number of Institutions allowed blacks to gain higher education and become ministers or teachers.^[2] One of these institutions was the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute which will be dealt with in more detail later in this paper.

The educational situation of blacks however improved only marginally. Reasons for this were that the newly opened schools were not funded sufficiently, held classes only for short time periods, or were inaccessible to the rural population due to being located in the towns and cities.^[3]

Nevertheless the overall number of illiterate blacks declined significantly in the years from 1870 to 1890. While in 1870 approximately 78.9% of blacks aged 10 to 14 were unable to write this number fell to 49.2% by 1890. In the age group of those who were twenty years old or older the decline is less remarkable but still evident. 90.4% of those were unable to write in 1870 as opposed to only 75.5% in 1890.^[4]

3. Education in the Autobiography of Booker T. Washington

Washington’s life – as he describes it in Up from Slavery – is dominated by his insatiable desire for education. There are countless episodes in which he struggles against the limitations set on him by his social status in order to gain access to some form of education. This begins in his early childhood while he is still a slave. Washington states “that to get into a schoolhouse and study […] would be about the same as getting into paradise.”^[5] Since at this time slavery was still practiced in the South Booker T. Washington was of course not allowed to go to school. His mother however, who was always supporting him to the best of her abilities, gave him a spelling book from which he taught himself the alphabet.

Some time later, when slavery had been abolished, a school for blacks was opened in Booker T. Washington’s home village. The problem was finding a suitable teacher. According to what Washington describes in his autobiography the families paid a teacher who would visit them in turn in order to teach them. Since almost no former slave had received any form of education before most were eager to learn and schooling was not limited to children but to all who wanted to learn. When more teachers had been found more schools were opened that the children could attend on a regular basis.

Washington however was again denied to go to school because his stepfather expected him to work in a salt-furnace. He describes this as “one of the keenest disappointments that I ever experienced”^[6]. But Washington did not give up. Instead he arranged for the teacher to give him lessons at night when his work was done. In retrospect Washington is of the opinion that he “learned more at night then the other children did during the day”^[7] due to his exceptional ambition to learn. He also mentions that this experience with learning at night influenced him regarding his later involvement with night schooling at Hampton and Tuskegee.^[8]

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^[1] Boyer, Paul S. The enduring vision: a history of the American people. Houghton Mufflin. Boston, 2004. 457.

^[2] Boyer 458.

^[3] Boyer 458.

^[4] Boyer 459.

^[5] Washington , Booker T. Up from Slavery. in The Noton Anthology Afriacna American literature. Eds. Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Nellie Y. McKay. New York: Norton, 1997. 492.

^[6] Washington, 1997. 501.

^[7] Washington , 1997. 501.

^[8] Washington , 1997. 502.