Booker T. Washington(born around 1858 or 1859), was a pretty influential African American man, and educator. Washington never knew his biological father, who was a white man; and his mother was the plantation’s cook until slavery was abolished. Even though slavery was abolished when Washington was still a young child, he remembered some of his early life as a slave. When slavery was abolished he, his mother, and siblings moved in to live with his step father. Much later in life, after Washington finished his education, he wrote an autobiography about his life. This autobiography of course is about his life but it also includes an insight on what he thought about the slave system, even showing his arguments against it. So what were his arguments against the slave system?
In his autobiography he often blames the system of the Nation and refers the wrongdoings of slavery and slavery in general as something that was caused by a system of the Nation. For example when he mentions his biological father, he simply says that he does not blame his father(who was never in his life and who had done something terrible in regards to his mother), and just states that his father was another victim of this system of the Nation. He also states that he doesn’t feel any anger or bitterness towards the White people of the South, or the ex-slave owners in general. He even shows examples of how the African American’s worked along side and cared for their “masters,” and also how many of the older African American’s when slavery ended began working for the their ex-slave “masters.” This further illustrates that he doesn’t hate or resent the ex-slave owners or the white American’s of the South; this also illustrates that quite a few other African American’s felt similar ways about the white American’s of the South.
Even though he shows that some slaves cared for their masters and stayed with them even when they were free, he also stated pretty strongly that slavery was wrong, and that the slaves wanted to be free. They wanted to have their own free will, to be free from the bondage of being a slave. He also believed that though slavery was an abomination and absolutly horrible in every sense imaginable, that it did benefit the African American’s for the better. The reason for belief was because the descendants of slaves and the individuals who were slaves and went through it were now stronger in many ways, compared to Africans in other places. He doesn’t justify slavery, people may become confused with that, he just states the reality in his opinion.
Washington wasn’t bitter or angry towards the ex-slave owners, he believed and argued that slavery and the wrongdoings of slavery was caused the system of Nation, which he blames for slavery, not the slave-owners. He also argued and believed slavery made African American’s stronger individuals(it is said that individuals become stronger after hardship), but he never justified slavery and believed it was a terrible and wrong thing, hence these were his arguments against slavery.
The Dreamer 