Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington (retouched photo)Harris & Ewing [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons. Source: Library of Congress [http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hec.16114]

Who: Booker T. Washington was an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. He was a hero in the black community, being one of the last African American heroes born into slavery. His dad was an unknown white man and his mother was a slave on a small plantation in Virginia. Growing up, he took the name of his step-father and became known as Booker T. Washington. At the age of 9 he found a job in West Virginia packing salt, and later became a coal miner. Later he was asked to be a leader at Tuskegee Institute, a teaching college in Tuskegee, Alabama, where he headed the college for the rest of his life. Booker was also starting to become more known for his popular speeches, making him one of the most dominant heroes in African American History.

When: Booker was born on April 5th, 1856, in Hale’s Ford, Virginia. He was a rights leader for about 25 years, starting at about the age of 34. Booker married three times, having three children in total, between the years of 1882 and 1915. Booker's first two wives died of sickness, and Booker passed away before his third wife, at just 59 years old on November 14th, 1915.

Where: Booker spent very little of his life in Virginia, growing up as a slave on Burroughs Plantation. After being freed, he attended work in West Virginia with a variety of different manual labor jobs so he could afford an education. Booker finally earned enough money to attend Hampton Institute, a small college for freedmen in Hampton, Virginia. After making it through Hampton, Booker graduated from Wayland Seminary to complete preparation as an instructor. Booker later was asked to lead Tuskegee Institute, a small college with a population of just 400.

What: Booker's main job was a teacher at Tuskegee Institute, in Tuskegee, Alabama. He purchased his own plantation and gave his students the responsibility of making their own class themselves. Booker’s class also helped raise funds for higher education for black public schools. Soon after Booker was there, the population at the school increased by 100s, and well-educated teachers were starting to work at the Institute. Even white people who didn’t like the idea of African Americans being educated supported Booker and donated large sums to the school. Booker stayed with the school until his death at the age of 59. Booker died of heart failure in New York City and was taken back to Tuskegee Institute and buried on school grounds.

How: Booker really started becoming famous for his job at Tuskegee Institute and for his incredible speeches. He was known as a spokesman for the African American community, delivering some very important speeches such as the Atlanta Address. His speech at the International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, was reported greatly by county newspapers. Many of the white politicians liked Booker and thought he should be the new leader of the African American culture. Having been one of the last black leaders born in slavery, Booker often was often credited for his courage in trying to stop slavery in the Antebellum era. But he was often criticized as a speaker but thought it was best to ignore the racist comments and keep fighting for rights to be free. Booker Washington was known as one of greatest black heroes in history, not only for his courage but for his compassion for freedom. Booker T. Washington was one of many black people trying to end slavery and racism, but of the hundreds there were, Booker will forever be known as a leader.