My plan was not to teach them to work in the old way, but to show them how to make the forces of nature—air, water, steam, electricity, horse-power—assist them in their labour.
In his autobiography, Washington explains his innovative educational philosophy at Tuskegee, focusing on teaching students to leverage natural forces for efficient labor.
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When they saw that I was not afraid or ashamed to work, they began to assist with more enthusiasm.
The whole machinery of slavery was so constructed as to cause labour, as a rule, to be looked upon as a badge of degradation, of inferiority.
I do not know how many have noticed it, but I think that it will be found to be true that there are few instances, either in slavery or freedom, in which a member of my race has been known to betray a specific trust.