Question

What did Booker T. Washington urge African Americans to focus on in his speech at the 1895 Atlanta Exposition?

causing civil disorder to achieve social justice


emigrating from the United States to Africa


advancing themselves through education


improving their representation in politics

Answer 1

Booker T. Washington's speech at the 1895 Atlanta Exposition advocated for African Americans' self-improvement through vocational education and economic self-reliance, accepting segregation in exchange for educational and employment opportunities.

Step-by-step explanation:

In his 1895 speech at the Atlanta Exposition, often referred to as the “Atlanta Compromise,” Booker T. Washington urged African Americans to focus primarily on personal and professional development, specifically through vocational education and economic self-reliance. Washington's address emphasized the importance of African Americans developing themselves in the areas of agriculture, mechanics, commerce, domestic service, and professions, advocating for patience and an incremental approach in the face of segregation. While he privately supported civil rights efforts, his public strategy involved acceptance of segregation and disenfranchisement in exchange for African Americans being granted greater opportunities in education and employment.

Thus, Washington proposed a form of accommodation, encouraging African Americans to adapt themselves to the conditions of the time, focusing on their own economic and educational advancement with the belief that these foundations would eventually lead to social and political equality. This conservative stance was later debated and criticized by other black leaders who sought a more confrontational approach to achieving civil rights.

Answer 2

Advancing themselves through education

Step-by-step explanation:

In his address at the Atlanta 1985 Exposition, Booker. T. Washington urged African Americans to seek education in order to improve their lives and the lives of their families, to gain economic power, social status, and finally, political influence.

Booker T. Washington believed that the movement for civil rights should advance slowly, by first, focusing on education. He thought that once blacks were well-educated and productive members of society, the prejudices that many White Americans held against them would fade, and this would lead to their acceptance in American mainstream society.

He particularly emphasized the importance of technical education, because he thought that industry was the most important source of jobs for black people. However, he also thought a liberal arts education was important, and he hoped that one day African Americans would receive the same quality liberal arts education that White Americans received.