Booker T. Washington Case

African American leadership was integral to the improvement of black Americans after slavery ended. During this period of reconstruction, there were two tactics devised to help former slaves reach racial equality. Education was a key component in both the strategies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois. The differing views of education in the advancement of African Americans is what sparked the "Great Debate".

Booker T. Washington was a native of the South and he himself a former slave. In his autobiographical work, "Up From Slavery", he writes of his hardships as a former slave seeking to escape poverty and receive an education. Washington was a young boy when slavery ended and his family, like many other former slaves, were thrust into poverty. The young Booker T. was diligent in his quest for education though. "I had no schooling whatsoever when I was a slave (Washington, p.12)". Once he had his freedom he pursued his formal education. "From the time that I can remember having any thoughts about anything, I recall that I had an intense longing to learn to read (Washington, p. 17)". This desire he fulfilled by any means he could. He had to work during the day in the salt furnace to help support his family but nights he got his education. His due diligence paid off when seeking his secondary education at the Hampton Institute.