Today in History: Booker T. Washington
Today in History–September 18–the Library of Congress features Booker T. Washington, who delivered his famous “Atlanta Compromise” or Atlanta Exposition speech on this day in 1895. The speech delivered by this prominent African American leader advocated for a moderate approach to race relations in the New South. Learn more about the founder and president of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University) by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access teaching resources and primary sources about Booker T. Washington.
Primary sources
- Booker T. Washington: select historical newspaper articles
- More historical newspaper coverage of Booker T. Washington
- W. E. B. DuBois to Booker T. Washington, September 24, 1895
- Paul Laurence Dunbar to Booker T. Washington, January 23, 1902
- Booker T. Washington Atlanta Exposition Speech September 18, 1895
- Booker T. Washington books, speeches, and other texts
- Booker T. Washington National Monument, Virginia : official map and guide
- The Booker T’s Are on Parade To-day (sheet music)
- Booker T. Washington image set
- Modern legislation related to Booker T. Washington
Teaching resources
- Learning from the Source: Ballad of Booker T.
- Booker T. Washington and the Atlanta Compromise Teaching with the Library of Congress blog July 29, 2011
- Booker T. Washington address to the country (Atlanta Exposition speech): questions to consider (audio excerpt)
- W.E.B. Du Bois argument against Booker T. Washington’s credo of humility and accommodation primary source activity (The Souls of Black Folk; Essays and Sketches)
- The Booker T. Washington Era (also see, defining an era)
Articles
- Booker T. Washington brief bio
- Booker T. Washington Era
- Booker T. Washington Speaks at the Cotton States and International Exposition September 18, 1895 America’s Library
- If You Build It, They Will Learn Library of Congress Blog September 20, 2013