Posted on 07/10/2014 8:26:30 PM PDT by Conservative Beacon
On this episode of The Conservative Beacon Podcast, Josh Price is joined by Robert J. Norrell, author of Up from History: The Life of Booker T. Washington, to discuss the inspiring life story of Booker T. Washington and its lessons for pursuing the American Dream.
Head over to TheConservativeBeacon.com to listen.
Booker T. Washington was a real man with guts.
I couldn’t agree more. His life might be the most impressive example of what America—the land of opportunity—provides for those willing to work hard and be relentless in pursuit of their goals.
Washington was someone who should’ve been the first Black President, not the Communist, anti-American garbage we ended up with.
If only! Unfortunately he wouldn’t have been elected due his philosophy of hard work and valuing labor. That kind of philosophy is entirely antithetical to today’s culture.
And that’s the problem.
Biggest mistake was the so-called Black leadership for a greater part of the 20th century discarding the Washington philosophy for the Marcus Garvey/W.E.B. DuBois one.
Rarely mentioned, but the sole Black member of Congress at the start of the FDR era, Republican Oscar Stanton DePriest of Chicago, refused to get on board the welfare state train, citing that it would destroy his people. It’s how the Democrats finally made their breakthrough into the Black vote in the ‘30s, and where the slow deterioration began, to explode within 3 decades.
Before that point, Blacks had more intact families (and lower illegitimacy rates) than Whites. Big government and the welfare state alone — not slavery (for which many had already overcome), is responsible for the breakdown. Not even the KKK in their wildest fantasies could’ve inflicted the damage leftist policies and schemes did.
Absolutely right. It’s unfortunate that the likes of Du Bois, and later, Malcom X, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Cornel, et al, are revered in American history while Booker T. Washington is dismissed as an accommodating “Uncle Tom.”
Everyone—black, white, hispanic, etc.—would serves themselves well by following the lessons of Booker Washington’s life and his philosophy.
Norrell’s book, Up from History, is a fantastic read, by the way.
absolutely true and possibly one of the best autobiographies there is.
Interesting. I am currently listening to Dinesh DeSouza’s new book, and in it he compares the diverging race relations approaches of W.E.B. Du Bois (I always thought the guy was a douchebag) to those held by by Booker T. Washington.
Du Bois: “Agitate, agitate, agitate, agitate.”
Washington: “Work, work, work, work.”
Although Malcolm X was a deeply flawed individual, had he lived, he might’ve ended up being more of a leader for self-reliance in the Black community. Before his assassination, he was already vocal about blasting liberal Democrats, and their being more destructive than any so-called ‘White right-wing bigots.’
MLK, conversely, was the one leading the Black community down the primrose path to leftism and more governmental dependence. I’ve been very critical of him and of FReepers who have rose-colored glasses where he is concerned (believing he’d somehow be a great “Conservative leader” today). He would’ve differed little from Jesse Jackson had he lived into the ‘80s or ‘90s and would’ve been ecstatic at the execrable occupant of the White House. MLK was more about politics and self-promotion than anything else. Booker T. warned us about those types long ago.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.