Roosevelt's Criticism Of Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington was a civil rights advocate on behalf of African Americans; he dedicated his life to helping members of his race. His major policy for reform was accommodation, which basically entailed that blacks learn practical skills and work their way up in society--starting in menial jobs. Washington thought that blacks should be civil and respectful to whites in order to earn their trust back and prove that they were fit to be in society. Although he faced major criticism for his passive way of reform, he continued practicing his ways, eventually earning a position as advisor of race relations under President Theodore Roosevelt. During Roosevelt’s first term, he invited Washington to the White House for dinner; this in turn caused major uproar among white citizens and happiness in African American citizens because an ex-slave had never been invited to dine at the White House with the president
The two men started to work together after the dinner, with Washington advising Roosevelt with racial politics--especially in the South. At this time, Washington was a supporter of Roosevelt; he even backed Roosevelt’s decision to run for another term in the presidency. They held a mutual opinion that blacks should not immediately pursue equality, rather work their way toward it. Despite the fact that Roosevelt had this mindset regarding race relations, he tended to have a racist attitude that was common among other whites of this time. In his speech about America’s race problem in 1905, he talked of how it is the white people’s responsibility to help the blacks achieve success in society (history.com). This idea contradicts Washington’s belief that the blacks can rise up in societal rank by themselves, as long as the peace and patience of the whites was