Credit: Library of Congress
Media type: photograph
Museum Number: Portfolio 189, Folder 29
Annotation: Booker T. Washington was born into slavery, and after emancipation, devoted his life to promoting the advancement of African Americans. In 1865, he moved with his family to West Virginia where he worked in the salt mines and coal furnaces, eventually worked his way through college to became an educator. In 1881, Washington was chosen to found and lead the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. His teaching methods showed students how to build their own buildings and grow their own food. His bestselling autobiography, Up From Slavery, has been influential in the African American community and in society, in general. Said of Booker T. Washington: "He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry."
Year: 1913