Final answer:
Booker T. Washington believed that the Tuskegee Institute's graduates would influence America by demonstrating self-improvement and economic self-sufficiency. By acquiring practical skills, these graduates were expected to become productive members of society and agents for positive change within the African American community. Washington saw their success as a bridge to racial understanding and as evidence of the community's capability for progress.
Step-by-step explanation:
Booker T. Washington, through his leadership of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, concluded that the graduates would greatly influence America by demonstrating the African American community's capacity for self-improvement and economic self-sufficiency. With a focus on common-school and industrial training, Washington sought to prove that African Americans were productive members of society, capable of contributing to America's progress. He envisioned that by imparting practical skills and moral education, Tuskegee graduates would not only uplift themselves but also serve as a bridge for racial understanding, by showcasing the positive outcomes of their education to the broader society.
The commitment of Tuskegee Institute in training African American students for agricultural and industrial labor had broader implications beyond mere workforce development. Washington believed these graduates would go on to spread new farming and industrial techniques throughout the South, thereby catalyzing economic growth and fostering an environment where African Americans could demonstrate their value to society. Furthermore, the rigor and discipline required to build the school from the ground up implied a level of strength and determination that would influence the character of its students and, by extension, the larger African American community.
Despite criticisms from contemporaries such as W. E. B. Du Bois over his emphasis on manual labor and de-emphasis of higher education, Washington insisted that the Tuskegee Institute's focus on practical skills was a strategic move. This education philosophy was geared towards achieving immediate self-reliance and was seen as a foundation for future advancement, both individually and collectively, within a society that was still grappling with post-slavery race relations.