3. (Close reading) Read lines 15-30. What is Washington encouraging white Southerners to do? And why?
4. (Close reading, corroboration) Louis Harlan, a historian who wrote extensively
about Booker T. Washington's life and career, has argued that Washington was
willing to ignore evils of racial segregation in the South if it brought financial and
professional gains to African Americans. What passages from lines 29-39 of this
speech could be used to support Harlan's conclusion? (Cite the line numbers of
specific sentences or passages.)
5. (Close reading, corroboration) Raymond Smock, a historian who wrote a book
about Washington's career in 2009, has argued that Washington was willing to
appease white Southerners' demands for racial inequality in exchange for their
support for his plans. What passages from this speech could be used to support
Smock's conclusion? (Cite the line numbers of specific sentences or passages.)
6. (Contextualization) Given the context of the time, why might Washington have
chosen to look the other way on segregation and to appease white Southerners?
Questions 7-8
Historian Louis Harlan, who has been highly critical of Washington's approach to civil
rights, acknowledges that Washington privately financed lawsuits that challenged Jim
Crow laws.
7. (Contextualization) Why might Washington have fought inequality privately
instead of openly calling for an end to legal discrimination?