Up From Slavery: Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis

Washington defines the Reconstruction Period as the time between 1867-1878, which is also the time that he spent as a student at Hampton and teaching in Malden. He says that the period was governed by two major concerns for black people—first, a pursuit of Latin and Greek education, and second, a desire to run for political office.

While Washington feels that the desire for education was noble, he believes that newly freed black Americans had no “proper conception” of what constituted a true education. According to Washington, most black people deemed Greek and Latin learning a marker of superiority, and education in general was seen as a means by which to be freed from labor.

Washington states that most black people who received an education found work in either education or the ministry. Although some of these educated black Americans were excellent practitioners of their profession, Washington implies that most of them were no better off than their pupils or congregations. Some teachers could not even write their names.

The ministry was no better off than the teaching profession. According to Washington, many newly educated black men would receive a “call” to preaching soon after they learned to read. In Washington’s town, the “call” consisted of a process in which the individual received the call while in church, the news of the call would spread through the neighborhood, and then the individual would publicly yield to or resist the call. Because so many people expressed interest in the ministry after receiving an education and the “call,” the population of ministers in churches exploded. Some churches had as many as 18 ministers for 200 congregants. Washington cynically states that he never received such a call, despite his dedication to receiving an education.

After expressing disdain for the amount of black Americans getting an education for what Washington feels were the wrong reasons, he likens the status of black Americans during this period to infancy. He says that black people depended on the Federal Government like an infant on its mother, which he sees as a natural relationship, since the government granted black Americans their freedom. Washington feels that the Federal Government failed, however, in not providing a proper means to an education for black people, and many of the problems that he listed above were directly related to this dereliction of responsibility by the government. Washington feels that if there would have been a proper education provided to black Americans, they could be in a completely different sociological and economic state than they are now.

Washington suggests that Reconstruction policy in general involved setting up, through a series of political and economic mistakes, a temporary bubble of progress that would pop as soon as the “artificial” supports were removed. He also feels that his race was being used as a political tool to get white people elected to office, and that the political agitation of the time simply created more unrest and problems for black people. Rather than depending upon the Federal Government for aid and support, Washington suggests that black Americans focus on bettering themselves through thriving in their already existing industries and owning more property.

The alluring draw of political office at the time even tempted Washington, but he resisted because he felt that his calling to education was much more significant. He feels that an education of “hand, head, and heart” is much more valuable than holding political office, for many politicians at the time could not even read and had questionable morals. Washington tells the parable of hearing many brick-masons building a house and calling out “Hurry up Governor!” When Washington enquired as to what they meant by “governor,” he found out that one of the masons was once the Lieutenant Governor of the state. Washington also qualifies his detraction of politicians by suggesting that although most politicians were unsavory, some politicians were noble people of good morals.

Because of the many “mistakes” committed by black people during Reconstruction, Southerners at the time of Washington’s writing felt that such mistakes would be committed again if black people were again placed in positions of power. Washington argues the contrary—that black Americans have progressed greatly since Reconstruction and that the mistakes committed were natural to a race held in subjugation by slavery. Washington proposes that the true solution to the “race problem” is that each state needs to ensure that the law is applied fairly and equally to people of both races.

At the end of Reconstruction in 1878, Washington decided to go to Washington D.C. for eight months to study. The institution at which Washington was studying did not promote industrial education, and despite the students’ nice clothes, financial security, and academic superiority, he felt that the students at Hampton had an advantage over those at this school because they were taught self-reliance through labor. Although the students at the D.C. school were materially better off, Washington feels that Hampton’s focus on the industries and labor provided a more well-rounded education.

Many black Americans saw Washington D.C. as an ideal place to live, Washington claims. Since a few African Americans held government positions, and the city had a large black population, black people enjoyed a life of relative easy and protection of the law. However, Washington felt that a great deal of these people were focused on superficial elements of life, and this morally bankrupted many of them, as they did not value labor and hard work.

To demonstrate this, Washington tells the parable of girls who would grow up working as laundry women with their mothers. However, after eight or so years of education, they would desire more things—nice hats, shoes, and clothes—but they would not have the means by which to provide those things. Washington feels that book learning is still valuable to them, but these girls would have been better off if they would have studied how to perfect the laundry industry as well.