Reading Response

Booker T. Washington: “The Atlanta Exposition Address”

The Atlanta Exposition Address is the most renowned speech delivered by Booker T. Washington. He was the leading personality, representing African American community, from 1890 to 1915 in the United States. The speech delivered at the 1895's Cotton States and International Exposition, demarcating the ending of reconstruction of the devastated southern America, held at Atlanta. The exposition was a tribute for the hard-work put in by both whites & blacks in the reconstruction process.

In his speech, Dr. Washington praises the inclusion of black people in the reconstruction process, and equal treatment with the whites, since the beginning. He then provided the strategy for blacks, liberated from slavery, to succeed as a society. He believes it takes time for societies to develop and succeed. The roots of the society have to be strong for a successful future. He also highlighted the basic concepts of economics, such as earning, saving, investing and empowering, that he considered were important and must be ingrained in the roots of the society for the successful future. He also pointed the fact that for the American nation to succeed, the blacks cannot be ignored.

Charles W. Chesnutt:"The Wife of His Youth"

The story was an attempt made to shed light on racial hypocrisy. It also educates the white people regarding the lifestyle and mindset of African-Americans. It portrays the difficulty that Native Americans and African-American had to bear to live their lives at that time. The story is setup in the North where African-Americans are treated unfairly and subjected to prejudice attitude by the white public. The story also shows the resilience of characters, replicating the efforts of the public back then to overcome the hard-times they faced. The writer also analyzes the psychological and sociological effects of laws and practices on black, white and mixed-race communities.

The story is about a man who was a part of Blue Veins fraternity, a fraternity established to maintain and establish acceptable societal standards for people having limitless room for enhancement. It is a morality account of loyalty, and a pretensions satire of African-American society belonging to the middle class. The writer has very cunningly explained the main idea in the story, thanks largely to his background; as he owned a stenography business, and was spending life of a political activist and writer.

W. E. B. Du Bois: "Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others"

In this literary scripture, Du Bois rejects and criticizes the Washington's emphasis for racial adjustment and vocational training. It asked for the sacrifice from African-American. Washington believed that African-Americans should not look forward to political power, or insist on civil rights also not higher education of African-American youth, instead focus on vocational training. This mindset is criticized by Du Bois, as it leads to no voice/representation of African Americans also created superiority for whites. It left African-Americans in the middle of nowhere, as asked to compromise with the south and north (Pole 1974, p. 4)

According to Du Bois, Washington's plan had noticeable flaws. It appeared to be focusing only on hard-work and money accumulation. The idea ...