BOOKER T. WASHINGTON

BOOKER T. WASHINGTON, (1856 -1915) College president and national leader who emphasized education, hard work, and economic development.

In 1940 Booker T. Washington became the first African American to be depicted on a U. S. postage stamp.  He was also the first African American featured on a U.S. coin.

Narration:

From slavery to a renowned educator, author, and political leader. His name – Booker T. Washington.

Booker Taliaferro Washington was born to a slave mother and a white father in Virginia in 1856. His family gained freedom after the Civil War.

He spent years in Virginia coal mines, before attending Hampton Institute at 16.  He then attended the Wayland Seminary in D.C., before returning to teach at Hampton.

By 1881 he was named the first leader of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama; a position he held for life.

He was a gifted orator who believed in cooperation among the races.  He attracted top leaders and generous philanthropists who helped him raise large sums of money to build schools for African Americans throughout the South.

His 1901 autobiography, Up From Slavery, was the first of 14 books and the impetus for a dinner invitation from President Theodore Roosevelt.

Booker T. Washington – A Great American

Credits: Editor: Stacy T. Holmes, ACE, Narrator: Steve Schy, Music: PartnersinRhyme.com, Digital Collection: Library of Congress, Copyright: CBN Communications