Review of Booker T. Washington's "Future of the American Negro"
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Date Published: October 15, 2024
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“A really important book upon a topic in which every American is profoundly interested is Mr. Booker T. Washington’s ‘The Future of the American Negro,’ a book written with extraordinary discretion, modest but not subservient, earnest but not self-assertive.”
“Notes and News,” The New York Times, August 19, 1899
A Book Review of The Future of the American Negro by Booker T. Washington
- Press Reviews of the Day: 1899, 1900 & 1902
- Selected Quotes from “The Future of the American Negro”
- This Author’s Thoughts on “The Future of the American Negro”
Press Reviews of the Day: 1899, 1900 & 1902
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The press reviews that were done of this book—North and South, were long, thoughtful and insightful evaluations. Many times, as I have read reviews of other works, too many were short, flattery-oriented or contrarian-leaning assessments. Almost without an exception, the following reviews truly evaluated what Mr. Washington was trying to communicate: practical, short- and long-term paths to implement to improve race relations, and, as such, the reviews were as excellent as the book they were reviewing.
They are broken out by reviews from the press of the South and the North. The reviews exemplify much of what Booker T. Washington wrote in this book that the South did readily accept negroes who had proved their worth, and that to increase their “worth,” industrial schools such as the Tuskegee Institute was one proven path to take. As you will read, the Southern press agreed. Let’s start with local reviews from this oft, much-maligned part of the county and see what they thought of this book! |
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You will find that Booker T. Washington held the North responsible for many of the negroes problems in the South … and the North was no heaven on earth. Even more so, it was closer to hell on earth for the Southern negro who went North unprepared in the search of work or education.
Peter E. Greulich, October 2024
"Southern" Press Reviews
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In this volume, Booker T. Washington has put into permanent form and elaborated the ideas he has often expressed in public addresses and magazine articles. … These ideas are familiar to all who take an interest in the race problem. … but their fuller presentation and the clear, direct style in which the book is written, make it a valuable contribution to this important subject.
Booker Washington is the only one who has written or spoken with forceful intelligence on this question, and what he has had to say has been characterized by such good judgement, common sense, and independence of thought as to mark the writer as a man of superior qualities in both intellect and character. … “For Literary Folks,” The Nashville Banner, November 18, 1899
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Everyone who reads the publication will be impressed with the brains which underlie the sober judgement of the writer. …
Booker T. Washington writes, “At the close of the [Civil] war, both the southern white man and the negro found themselves in the midst of poverty. The ex-master returned from the war to find his slave property gone, his farms and other industries in a state of collapse, and the whole industrial/economic system upon which he had depended for years entirely disorganized.
As we review calmly and dispassionately the period of the reconstruction, we must use a great deal of sympathy and generosity. The weak point in the reconstruction era was no strong force brought to bear to prepare the negro to become an intelligent, reliable citizen and voter.
The main effort seems to have been in the direction of controlling his vote … regardless of future interests.”
Booker T. Washington writes, “At the close of the [Civil] war, both the southern white man and the negro found themselves in the midst of poverty. The ex-master returned from the war to find his slave property gone, his farms and other industries in a state of collapse, and the whole industrial/economic system upon which he had depended for years entirely disorganized.
As we review calmly and dispassionately the period of the reconstruction, we must use a great deal of sympathy and generosity. The weak point in the reconstruction era was no strong force brought to bear to prepare the negro to become an intelligent, reliable citizen and voter.
The main effort seems to have been in the direction of controlling his vote … regardless of future interests.”
“Books Reviewed,” The Atlanta Constitution, November 1899
“The Future of the American Negro” is a work of a scholar and a conscientious student of affairs. The author has given his life to the training and elevation of the negro, and he is well in touch with advanced methods and ideas. His judgements, therefore, are entitled to great weight. The work is without pretense, perfectly freed from any pedantry, and admirably written.
He advocates, as a solution of the race problem, industrial education, practical training in agriculture, horticulture, dairying, mechanics, and gives an outline of the work of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial school, of which he is the head. …
Mr. Washington, his book, and his school deserve the careful consideration and support of every student of the race question.
He advocates, as a solution of the race problem, industrial education, practical training in agriculture, horticulture, dairying, mechanics, and gives an outline of the work of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial school, of which he is the head. …
Mr. Washington, his book, and his school deserve the careful consideration and support of every student of the race question.
“Men and Letters,” The Knoxville Journal and Tribune, November 1899
"Northern" Press Reviews
A really important book upon a topic in which every American is profoundly interested is Mr. Booker T. Washington’s “The Future of the American Negro,” a book written with extraordinary discretion, modest but not subservient, earnest but not self-assertive.
“Notes and News,” The New York Times, August 19, 1899
Much of the matter contained in his book has been contributed by Mr. Washington in the form of essays to magazines such as the Atlantic, Appleton’s Popular Science Monthly, and others; … this shows his insistence on one idea, the central idea of his life—the uplift of the negro. …
Mr. Washington decries the sort of education that has been given to the negro—here his belief in industrial training appears. He points out the absurdity of teaching poverty-stricken negroes piano playing and higher mathematics … he declares that the only hope for salvation for the negro lies in acquiring property, … for the mere fact that he is a property holder will remove much of today’s prejudice. … The individual or race that owns property, pays the taxes, possesses the intelligence, and is substantial in character, is the one which is going to exercise the greatest control in government. …
It would, we think, be hard to over-estimate the value of this book.
Mr. Washington decries the sort of education that has been given to the negro—here his belief in industrial training appears. He points out the absurdity of teaching poverty-stricken negroes piano playing and higher mathematics … he declares that the only hope for salvation for the negro lies in acquiring property, … for the mere fact that he is a property holder will remove much of today’s prejudice. … The individual or race that owns property, pays the taxes, possesses the intelligence, and is substantial in character, is the one which is going to exercise the greatest control in government. …
It would, we think, be hard to over-estimate the value of this book.
“The Future of the American Negro,” The Indianapolis News, November 1899
Selected Quotes from “The Future of the American Negro”
- Booker T. Washington on the Long-Term Impacts of Lynching
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“Physical death comes to the one Negro lynched in a county; but death of the morals—death of the soul, comes to those responsible for the lynching. … Lynching injures, hardens, and blunts the moral sensibilities of the young and tender manhood of the South. …
“Never shall I forget the remark by a little nine year old white boy, with blue eyes and flaxen hair. The little fellow said to his mother, after he had returned from a lynching: ‘I have seen a man hanged; now I wish I could see one burned.’ Rather than hear such a remark from one of my little boys, I would prefer to see him in his grave. … “The history of the world proves that where the law is most strictly enforced there is the least crime: where people take the administration of the law into their own hands there is the most crime.” |
Lynching lead to Ray Stannard Baker’s book, “Following the Color Line.” Select image to read a review of this work.
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- Booker T. Washington on the "Why" of Education Outweighing the "What" and "How"
“It seems to me that there never was a time in the history of the country when those interested in education should more earnestly consider to what extent the mere acquiring of the ability to read and write, the mere acquisition of a knowledge of literature and science, makes men producers, lovers of labour, independent, honest, unselfish, and, above all, good. …
“The study of arithmetic that does not result in making men conscientious in receiving and counting the ballots of their fellow-men is faulty; the study of art that does not result in making the strong less willing to oppress the weak means little; … the science, the art, the literature, that fails to reach down and bring the humblest up to the enjoyment of the fullest blessings of our government, is weak no matter how costly the buildings or apparatus used or how modern the methods of instruction employed.
“The most cultured and highly endowed university in the great North to the humblest log cabin school-house in Alabama, should burn, as it were, into the hearts and heads of all individuals that usefulness and service to our brother is the supreme end of education. Call education by what name you please, but if it fails to bring about these results among the masses, it falls short of its highest end.”
“The study of arithmetic that does not result in making men conscientious in receiving and counting the ballots of their fellow-men is faulty; the study of art that does not result in making the strong less willing to oppress the weak means little; … the science, the art, the literature, that fails to reach down and bring the humblest up to the enjoyment of the fullest blessings of our government, is weak no matter how costly the buildings or apparatus used or how modern the methods of instruction employed.
“The most cultured and highly endowed university in the great North to the humblest log cabin school-house in Alabama, should burn, as it were, into the hearts and heads of all individuals that usefulness and service to our brother is the supreme end of education. Call education by what name you please, but if it fails to bring about these results among the masses, it falls short of its highest end.”
- Booker T. Washington on Being Honest in Race Discussions: Practice, Patience and Candor
“That the Negro may be fitted for the fullest enjoyment of the privileges and responsibilities of our citizenship, it is important that the nation be honest and candid with him, whether honesty and candor for the time being pleases or displeases him.
“It is with an ignorant race as it is with a child: it craves at first the superficial, the ornamental signs of progress rather than the reality. The ignorant race is tempted to jump—at one bound, to the position that it has required years of hard struggle for others to reach.”
“It is with an ignorant race as it is with a child: it craves at first the superficial, the ornamental signs of progress rather than the reality. The ignorant race is tempted to jump—at one bound, to the position that it has required years of hard struggle for others to reach.”
- Booker T. Washington on the Conditions in the South After the Civil War
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“What was the task the North asked the South to perform after the war?
“Returning to their destitute homes after years of war to face blasted hopes, devastation, a shattered industrial system, they asked them to add to their own burdens that of preparing in education, politics, and economics for citizenship, four millions of former slaves. "That the South, staggering under the burden, made blunders, and that in a measure there has been disappointment, no one need be surprised. |
Select the image to read a full article by Ida M. Tarbell on what it was like for a Confederate soldier to "go home" at the end of the Civil War.
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“The educators, the statesmen, the philanthropists, have imperfectly comprehended their duty toward the millions of poor whites in the South who were buffeted for two hundred years between slavery and freedom, between civilization and degradation, who were disregarded by both master and slave. It needs no prophet to tell the character of our future civilization when the poor white boy in the country districts of the South receives one dollar's worth of education and the boy of the same class in the North twenty dollars’ worth. …
“The time has come, it seems to me, when in this matter we should rise above party or race or sectionalism into the region of duty of man to man, of citizen to citizen, and of Christian to Christian.”
“The time has come, it seems to me, when in this matter we should rise above party or race or sectionalism into the region of duty of man to man, of citizen to citizen, and of Christian to Christian.”
This Author’s Thoughts on “The Future of the American Negro”
This is the seventh book of Booker T. Washington’s that I have read from cover-to-cover.
I have offered my insights into each with “Reviews of the Day,” selected excerpts from each book, and finally, my own thoughts. A chronological listing of Booker T. Washington’s books along with links to their individual reviews is published on this website: Booker T. Washington’s Home Page.
The book being reviewed on this page, “The Future of the American Negro,” is the first book that Booker T. Washington published. The first release was in late 1899 and then republished in 1900–02. Interestingly, the title of the last article published by Booker T. Washington was “The Future of the Negro.” This article was written during his last illness—with many delays and interruptions, and it was only finally published in late 1915 at the time of his death.
I have offered my insights into each with “Reviews of the Day,” selected excerpts from each book, and finally, my own thoughts. A chronological listing of Booker T. Washington’s books along with links to their individual reviews is published on this website: Booker T. Washington’s Home Page.
The book being reviewed on this page, “The Future of the American Negro,” is the first book that Booker T. Washington published. The first release was in late 1899 and then republished in 1900–02. Interestingly, the title of the last article published by Booker T. Washington was “The Future of the Negro.” This article was written during his last illness—with many delays and interruptions, and it was only finally published in late 1915 at the time of his death.
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The title of this first book and the title of his last article seem fitting bookends that accurately reflect the life-long work of Mr. Washington between their publications—ensuring a positive future for his race. After reading many of his numerous other works—with several still to go, every work is written from an optimistic perspective on how to ensure the people of his race and those with which they reside could be made stronger with lasting improvements in race relations. Essentially, he called all men to a life of service to their fellow man—regardless of race.
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Select this image to read Booker T. Washington’s last article published before his death in 1915 on “The Future of the Negro."
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Reading this initial book of Dr. Washington’s after reading those published later in his life, consistent themes are found: industrial education is the way forward for the black race; the white race, if it tried to help the black race move forward, would elevate itself; displays of industriousness, honesty and character will do the most good to raise the black race to an equal footing with the white race; and, although the negro has made progress since the war, Dr. Washington believes it could and would be a faster progress if his race could learn and exhibit a love of labor—industriousness and inventiveness.
This book is a great read to understand the founding beliefs of Booker T. Washington. Of course, with the years he became more articulate and clearer in his assertions yet as one review states above, his books and articles were to the end of his life—I believe, written “with extraordinary discretion, with great modesty while avoiding subservience, and always displayed an earnest belief in himself and his findings without being overly self-assertive.”
Booker T. Washington’s books are at the pinnacle of American literature on race relations, and his works should be included in our educational curriculums for evaluation and discussion.
They are a wonderful place to start any discussion on race.
Cheers,
- Peter E.
This book is a great read to understand the founding beliefs of Booker T. Washington. Of course, with the years he became more articulate and clearer in his assertions yet as one review states above, his books and articles were to the end of his life—I believe, written “with extraordinary discretion, with great modesty while avoiding subservience, and always displayed an earnest belief in himself and his findings without being overly self-assertive.”
Booker T. Washington’s books are at the pinnacle of American literature on race relations, and his works should be included in our educational curriculums for evaluation and discussion.
They are a wonderful place to start any discussion on race.
Cheers,
- Peter E.