About
Booker T. Washington was born into slavery in 1856 in Virginia. After emancipation, he worked as a janitor to pay for his education at Hampton Institute, graduating in 1875. In 1881, he became the first principal of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, which he developed over 34 years into a major institution. His 1895 Atlanta speech, known as the 'Atlanta Compromise,' advocated vocational education and economic self-reliance for African Americans, making him the most influential spokesperson of his era. He published his autobiography 'Up from Slavery' in 1901, which became a bestseller. He advised Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft and was the first African American invited to dine at the White House. He died in 1915.
Major works
- The Story of My Life and Work (1900)autobiography
- Up from Slavery (1901)autobiography
- My Larger Education (1911)autobiography
- The Man Farthest Down (1912)social study
Key milestones
- 1881Becomes the first principal of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
- 1895Delivers the 'Atlanta Compromise' speech at the Cotton States and International Exposition.
- 1901First African American invited to dine at the White House by President Theodore Roosevelt.
Themes
Vocational educationEconomic self-relianceRacial progressAccommodationAfrican American leadership
Sources: britannica.com · encyclopediavirginia.org