Question

Read the quotation from Booker T. Washington's 1895 Atlanta Compromise Speech.

“[P]rogress in the enjoyment of all the privileges that will come to us must be the result of severe and constant struggle rather than of artificial forcing.”

In this quotation, Washington is expressing his view that

working toward equality is not a realistic goal.

the government cannot legislate equality.

unconstitutional laws should be challenged in court.

only some people deserve to have certain privileges.

Answer 1

In this quotation, Washington is expressing his view that government cannot legislate equality.

Answer 2

The correct option is:

The government cannot legislate equality.

Booker T. Washington understood that the government can´t legislate equality, as in a merit-based society hard work and patience are the proper tools to accomplish racial equality. Washington was a former slave who embodied self-help in the years following reconstruction. He started the Tuskegee Institute in 1881, to help former slaves and poor black people of the time.