Booker T. Washington and his educational legacy

¶ … Atlanta Exposition Address (1895)" by Booker T. Washington

Delivered in the year 1895, the Atlanta Exposition Address by Booker T. Washington calls for the emancipation of black Americans from slavery, which includes as its audience both white and black Americans. The address also includes a discussion of the possible obstacles or challenges that black Americans may face in the path towards establishing their right as equal members of the white American society. Thus, the address ultimately calls for unity and cooperation between black and white Americans in order to generate a successful socio-economic force within American society.

The rhetorical analysis includes a study of rhetorical styles, figures, arguments, as well as the audience that Washington used and addressed in his speech, respectively. Rhetorical styles used include the speaker's subsistence to the rhetoric of fear and historical and socio-economic arguments, while rhetorical figures utilized in the speech are anaphora, understatement, and situational irony. Also, through constant references in his speech, Washington addresses his call for emancipation of black Americans and unity of American society by targeting both the black and white American (both from the Southern and Northern regions of the country) audiences.

The discussion and analysis of these rhetorical elements ultimately convey the argument of this paper, which posits that through the use of rhetorical elements, Washington managed to create an impression that he is for the emancipation of black Americans from slavery, but does not discount the fact that their emancipation means the continuing control of white Americans over the black Americans. Thus, in effect, Washington argues for emancipation but does not extend this message with strength and instead, gave out the message that he is but willing to let the white Americans control black Americans as they are finding their way to become "independent" from the slavery system and white Americans' prejudice and discrimination.

One of the primary steps towards identifying the elements that will be studied for the rhetorical analysis is to first identify the audience of Washington's speech. This is vital, since the meanings explicitly and implicitly expressed through the style and rhetorical figures utilized in the speech will be applied in the context of the speaker's target audience. Analysis of the speech shows that it has the white (Northern and Southern whites) and black Americans (slaves and freemen) as his primary and target audiences. Reference to the white American audience is expressed in paragraphs 1 to 3, wherein the speaker entices them through the phrase, "Cast down your bucket where you are," in order to entice the white Americans to cooperate with the American society (black Americans, specifically) in the path towards abolishment of and emancipation from slavery. Black Americans, meanwhile, are also targeted in the speech, and Washington includes his fellowmen to discuss how emancipation can be both a privilege and challenge for their community. Emancipation from slavery is a privilege because black Americans will now freely exercise their individual rights within American society, but it is also a challenge because they will be faced with problems of building independent institutions that shall, at the same time, cooperate with institutions of white Americans. Thus, both target audiences are included to discuss Washington's call for cooperation towards building successful and functional white and black American societies in the country.

Regarding the use of rhetorical styles in the speech, the speaker mainly used the rhetoric of fear and uses this persuasion style in order to extend his message of imperative cooperation between black and white Americans. Rhetoric of fear is illustrated by the use of scenarios, language, and/or meanings in the speech that may induce feelings of fear to the audience.

Rhetoric of fear as utilized towards the black Americans is apparent in paragraph 2, wherein the speaker talks about the challenges that his fellowmen might face as they establish and practice their citizenship and rights in the country. Freedom to conduct their lives socially, economically, and politically, Washington warns that, "...the great leap from slavery to freedom we may overlook the fact that the masses of us are to live by the productions of our hands, and fail to keep in mind that we shall prosper in proportion as we learn to dignify and glorify common labor, and put brains and skill into the common occupations of life..." He further adds that "[n]o race can properly prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem," which provides an analogy to the historical development of the Negro Movement, wherein the use of rhetoric for years in order to persuade people and protest against slavery is now enacted ("tilling a field") by showing that indeed, black Americans are capable of handling independence and freedom in American society. The rhetoric of fear is operationalized by illustrating the dangers in treading to a 'new ground' -- that is handling black American independence from slavery and prejudice.

For the white Americans, Washington provides a threatening scenario of the capacity and power of black Americans to create destabilization in the American society should emancipation and establishment of an egalitarian society fails to become a reality in the country. While fear induced from the black Americans stemmed from the fear of mishandling the new and free black American society, fear induced from white Americans is the same kind of fear that has been used by black American propaganda leaders like Malcolm X, which cites violence as one of the possibilities or consequences that may happen if black Americans does not receive the independence that they deserve to have. Inducement of fear from the white Americans is stated in the speech as follows: "Nearly sixteen millions of hands will aid you in pulling the load upward, or they will pull against you the load downward...we shall prove a veritable body of death, stagnating, depressing, retarding every effort to advance the body politic."

Apart from the rhetoric of fear, other forms of persuasion adopted by the speaker include the use of socio-economic and historical arguments in order to promote the good cause of the black Americans towards establishing their independence. Using the language of history, Washington convinces his audiences that black Americans have already become a significant part of American history, the very people who "tilled your fields, cleared your forests, builded your railroads and cities, and brought forth treasures from the bowels of the earth, and helped make possible this magnificent representation of the progress of the South." Apart from the essential role that black American slaves have contributed to the socio-economic prosperity of the country, the speaker also uses the language of religion in eliciting emotional reaction among his audience. He successfully entices his fellowmen towards his line of argument by using a religious anecdote at the start of his speech. By encouraging white Americans to "Cast down your bucket where you are," Washington is able to use the influence of religion as an element that convinces his audiences to cooperate and perceive that his intentions are sincere and will benefit both the white and black Americans.