Essay on Compare And Contrast Frederick Douglass And Booker T Washington

You are not judged by the height you have risen, but from the depth you have climbed-Frederick Douglass. Both Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass had a difficult life, living in a time of slavery. During their lives, they possessed many similarities and differences.

Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass shared many similarities. They both yearned for a drink from the spring of knowledge. Booker walked from West Virginia to a school in Virginia. He had to labor unloading ships for some time on his journey to earn enough money to have food. While Booker was at the school, he toiled to pay for his tuition by taking the role of the school janitor. Frederick would befriend young white boys to help him learn how to read. He would give them bread in exchange for lessons. Frederik would also practice writing by copying his master’s handwriting until it looked identical. They also married. Booker married his wife while he was teaching at school. Frederick married his wife not too long after he ran away. They both obtained freedom in their lifetime. Booker was born 40 years after Frederick. Because of this, he received freedom as a young boy as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation. Frederick, who was born in the early 1800s, had to run away to a free state to earn his freedom.

Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass also possessed differences. In the early stages of learning, they had different experiences. Booker’s mother encouraged him through everything he learned even though she didn’t know herself. On the other hand, Mrs. Auld began teaching Frederick the alphabet. When Mr. Auld found out, he forbade Frederick to learn anymore reading, saying it was too dangerous. They had different family situations. Growing up, Booker lived with his mother and siblings. He saw them every day. In contrast, someone separated Frederick from his mother as a newborn. Afterward, he only met her 4 or 5 times before she passed away when he was only seven years old. Finally, they had differing opinions of white men. Booker’s master was one of the kinder masters back then. His master only flogged him if he was late returning from the mill. Even when Booker opened a school, the white men were not enraged. However, Frederick did not have the same view of white men. The overseers were so strict that they would beat slaves over the minor details. The first white people who were kind to him were the Auld family.

Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass faced many challenges during their lives although Frederick had seen more violence in his childhood. Nevertheless, they overcame the obstacles in their lives.