What was the main idea of the Atlanta Compromise speech given by Booker T. Washington?

The main idea of Booker T. Washington’s “Atlanta
Compromise” speech (delivered in 1895) was that blacks and whites in the South should
realize that they needed each other and that they should act in ways that would allow
them to coexist.  Washington told both sides to “cast down your bucket where you
are.” 

Washington’s message was aimed at Southerners of
both races.  He wanted the white Southerners to realize that black Southerners were a
good source of labor for them.  He wanted the whites to hire black people to work for
them instead of hoping that they could get immigrant labor.  He argued that black
workers had proved their fidelity and their industriousness and that they would not
engage in strikes and other disruptions that would harm their
employers.

At the same time, Washington wanted black
Southerners to be content where they were.  He wanted them to stop thinking about going
to the North or to foreign countries.  He felt that they should not try to push for
political power or equal rights.  Instead, they should work hard in the South and, by
doing so, cause whites to (eventually) respect them.