I was searching around Booker T. Washington and this picture captured my interest. It is Booker T. Washington sitting down for a meal with Teddy Roosevelt, with a picture of Abraham Lincoln in the background. This shows three characters in history that have all thought that there should be equality amongst blacks and whites. The infamous Theodore Roosevelt once said "I have not been able to think out any solution of the terrible problem offered by the presence of the Negro on this continent, but of one thing I am sure, and that is that inasmuch as he is here and can neither be killed nor driven away, the only wise and honorable and Christian thing to do is to treat each black man and each white man strictly on his merits as a man, giving him no more and no less than he shows himself worthy to have". He also appointed several African Americans to federal office. Along with Roosevelt, Booker T. Washington was also an icon in the African American society. Probably the most influential African American person during this time period. In 1901, Theodore Roosevelt actually invited Booker T. Washington to dinner, and that is what this picture portrays. They showed that there was a possibility for equality amongst blacks and whites, giving hope to a somewhat demoralized African American culture.
This picture really does say a lot to the people who are viewing it. Political cartoons are usually very intricate, and hard to understand, but this one, on the other hand, is very easy to interpret: two men, two different colors, sitting at a table of equality being watched over by the man who passed the Emancipation Proclamation. Roosevelt is seen to some people as one of the better presidents who have run this country, and he worked hard do the right things for the United States of America, and to also try to create equality between all races within his country. I find it interesting that according to this post, this picture has a sense of reality to it, because Roosevelt actually invited Booker T. Washington to dinner. This picture would bring hope into my heart if I were an African American, because this picture anticipates that equality is on its way. If I were to see two of the most influential men of the time period sitting down at dinner and discussing equality, it would fill me up with positive energy, and joy. It shows that equality is not too far away, and although it did take many years until African Americans reached full legal equality right, it was moving forward for that time.
ReplyDelete-Jake Robinson