Enlightened

The way the world goes round has always been interesting. Hearing a different perspective on slavery from Booker T. Washington is something I will never forget. I do not want to tear his piece into shreds with my own opinion and judge what he has written like many other people do when they post. I want to just read this take what I need from it and remember it. It was admirable. In chapter one a Slave Among Slaves there is recollection of his past and what it was like. Readers need to take into account that he is preaching what he knew and how he lived at that time, not whether it was right or wrong. It was interesting to read on and listen to Washington speak of the masters and how they were gracious. Here in modern days we would merely call giving a piece of bread and meat gracious. But to him it was. Education was not a part of his life either. I read this over twice and now I see that he is simply trying to get his readers to view life as a slave would. An uneducated, simple, innocent, and hard working slave. I can also appreciate him mentioning his white father that he knew nothing of. Many white men slept with or even raped African American women..got them pregnant and then never cared to lift a finger to help. " He was simply another unfortunate victim of the institution which the Nation unhappily had engrafted upon it at that time." Washington did not find his white father at fault because this was the way things were. He knew nothing of his father which was why he knew this. When things are accpetable in society and many if not everyone view things as acceptable then there is no wrong. No wrong to the person who was intitially wronged and no wrong to the one doing wrong. I can understand why Washington feels no animosity or fault within his father because like I said before this was the way things were and people live according to the concrete laid out in their communities.
Another part of this story that I found admirable was when Washington was speaking of his people. " I have said that there are few instances of a member of my race betraying a specific trust." In this particular segment Washington speaks of a man set free by the government. However before freedom was set into place this man had signed a contract with his master in agreement that he would work until he could buy his own freedom from his master. While this freedom was set into play this man kept his word and worked and paid his master and then enjoyed his freedom. Think and say what you must but I believe that a slave and a master completed one person. By this I mean the slaves did everything their masters could not and in turn the masters knew everything a slave didn't. They needed eachother to survive because this was the way they learned to live. Slaves had the upperhand when slavery came around they knew how to survive physically and how to keep up their homes...education came later.
I enjoyed reading Washingtons words and I respectfully understand his point of view.