One-third of the population of the South is of the Negro race.
Attempts to improve the region must include Black Americans. Tied into the broader historical context of the post-Reconstruction South, where the Black population played a crucial economic role, especially in agriculture and labor. Highlighting demographics and economic reality, Washington is arguing for inclusion based on practicality, not just for justice.
“Cast down your bucket where you are.”
The passage used a metaphor urging both Black American and White Southerners to focus on building economic and social progress through cooperation rather than migration or conflict. This reflects Washington’s philosophy of accommodationism, which prioritized vocational training and economic self-reliance over immediate demands for civil rights. It can be contrasted with W.E.B. Du Bois’s later advocacy in The Souls of Black Folk (1903), where Du Bois criticizes Washington for accepting segregation and disenfranchisement in exchange for economic opportunity.