“Atlanta Exposition Address” (1895) by Booker T. Washington

“W.E.B. DuBois Denounces Washington’s Accommodationist Policies” (1903)

Questions about “Atlanta Exposition”

(Washington is speaking to a white audience at the Atlanta Exposition. This industrial show for the cotton industry had many exhibits of machinery and the other things needed in the cotton, cotton mill, and cottonseed industries. There was a “Negro Hall” with exhibits about lives and accomplishments of African Americans.)

What does Washington say about the immediate period after Emancipation (“In the first years of our new life…”)? Why is he critical of former slaves who wanted to run for office?
What do you think he meant by “Cast down your bucket where you are?”
What do you think he would say to southern African Americans who wanted to move away from the South?
Washington says that African Americans need to learn to dignify and glorify common labor. How do you think enslaved people would have felt about this statement? Why?
What comparisons does Washington make between African Americans and immigrants? Why do you think he is making these comparisons?
Washington claims that African Americans have proven their loyalty to white southerners in the past. What evidence does he give, and do you believe this is an accurate portrayal of the master/slave relationship? Why or why not?