Started in a shanty type building with only thirty or so students, the institute expanded to a 100-acre farm to support the school. Each student could work his way through school by working and maintaining the farm. Since Washington has graduated from the Institute he had become influential for the racial equality movement; although Washington was criticized for his methodology as being too conservative. Washington believed that dedicated work and not being a threat would be the only way for his race achieve social equality. Much of his thoughts were expressed in his Atlanta Compromise speech.Booker T. Washington wrote to advance the black man in a well-rounded manner. He wanted to uplift the man to a level of not only book smart but professionally smart as well. He emphasized the need to educate the black man for industrial purposes in the south, such as carpentry, blacksmithing, and agricultural work . He wrote in a manner that was very diplomatic to both races, as he did believe that to gain equality was express equality. He didn't persecute the white man for slavery and expressed faults of both parties, which made Washington a popular figure. "I do not mean in any way to apologize for the curse of slavery, which was a curse to both races, but in what I say about industrial training in slavery I am simply stating facts." (Industrial Education). He mainly wrote in a first person perspective and wrote of personal events, such as how he lived and grew up, and his years at the Tuskegee Institute. He wrote to persuade the black community to start with the basic building blocks to bring themselves out of poverty and then to pursue larger dreams. As he wrote in one of his speeches, he came across a girl playing a piano inside of her parents shanty. He concocted a way to enter the house and conversed with the young girl, she had stated that she studied Music and French and had also talked her parents into renting the piano for her, even thou...
