Washington, Booker T. (ca. 1856–1915)
Signed Letter
Original letter in a secretarial hand, signed at the foot by the American educator, author, and orator. On letterhead of the Tuskegee Institute. dated October 13, 1900. Addressed to Miss Ellen D. Jackson, Jackson Homestead, Newton, Mass., the letter reads: "Kind Friend, I send you a copy of my annual report which I hope you may find time to read. Our new year has opened in an encouraging manner. Yours truly, Booker T. Washington, Principal." Light toning, folding creases, and small staple holes at the head; overall fine. 15.2 x 24 cm (6 x 9.5 inches).In 1881, Washington, then aged 25, became the first leader of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (later Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University), the new normal school (teachers' college) in Alabama. The new school opened on July 4, 1881, initially using space in a local church. The next year, Washington purchased a former plantation to be developed as the permanent site of the campus. The Tuskegee faculty used all the activities to teach the students basic skills to take back to their mostly rural black communities throughout the South. The main goal was not to produce farmers and tradesmen, but teachers of farming and trades who could teach in the new lower schools and colleges for blacks across the South. The school expanded over the decades, adding programs and departments, to become the present-day Tuskegee University. (17742)
History & Historiography Autograph Letter