Student Question
What qualities enabled Booker T. Washington to move from a coal mine to Hampton College?
Quick answer:
Booker T. Washington's journey from a coal mine to Hampton College was driven by imagination, hard work, perseverance, and determination. His ambition was sparked by the desire to escape the mines, and he gained support from his community, especially former slaves. Encouraged by Mrs. Ruffner, he saved money and worked various jobs to afford his education. Washington's gratitude for community support and his resolve were crucial in achieving his educational goals.
A combination of imagination, hard work, perseverance, and determination contributed to Washington’s success in education. Perhaps even more crucial was his respect and gratitude for his community’s support, which he found especially meaningful coming from formerly enslaved people.
One attribute that Booker T. Washington mentions as being especially useful was his imagination (chapter II). His dread of working in the coal mine inspired him to seek some other way of life. He used his imagination to consider what he might do if no restrictions were placed on him—if he were white. As he grew older, he began to realize that whiteness was not a guarantee of an easy ascent, and he stopped envying white boys. However, he continued to exercise his imagination.
Washington learned of the Hampton Institute by overhearing a conversation between two miners (chapter III). He immediately felt that attending “a great school for coloured people” would be...
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a dream come true. Washington’s ambition and resolve to attend that school never left him. This ambition fueled his decision to leave the mine and become a house servant for the mine owner and his wife. Mrs. Ruffner was strict but supportive; rather than merely allowing him, she encoiraged him to attend school. During his time working in their home, he began to assemble his library. In addition to applying his own savings toward attending Hampton, Booker garnered support from the older people in his community. These were people who had lived through slavery and were proud to support “a member of their race [to] attend a boarding school.” He greatly appreciated the nickels or quarters they gave him.
Even with this help, he did not have enough money to get to Hampton. Stopping at Richmond, Washington used his initiative to find work unloading ships and persevered in this work until he earned enough to complete his trip. When he finally arrived, the mere sight of the building “seemed to give me new life.” During his course of study there, and even after completing his education, he always remembered the support he had received from his community and wishes that those elderly people could have seen this sight as well.
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