Chapter+16+Maxwell



Booker T. Washington was born on April 5, 1856 to a slave in Franklin County, Virginia. Washington's mother worked at a plantation while his father was a white man unknown to the community. One of Washington's first jobs was to haul 100 pound bags of grain across the plantation. It is said that he was beaten often for not completing his duties in a acceptable manner. Washington was always fascinated with education. He would always watch the other kids at school and would want to do what the did. As Booker got older his mother saw his passion for education and bought him a book that taught him his alphabet and also how to read and write. In 1872 Washington attended Hampton Normal Agricultural Institute where he faced many struggles much like his earlier life. He took many diverse and odd jobs to make himself enough money to support himself and pay his tuition. He soon obtained a scholarship from the schools headmaster after he recognized Washington perseverance. Booker graduated in 1875 and decided to teach back at his roots in Virginia. Washington later founded the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, a colored college that focused on getting black more educated and into the workforce. Booker's plan was to get African Americans into the economy so they could hold power as a whole. Many people disagreed with Booker's methods and ideas. Not only whites that saw blacks as competition but also people like W.E.B Du Bois that figured blacks need to get degrees so they can grow as a culture. Booker T. Washington was the head of Tuskegee University until his death in 1915 of heart failure.

"Booker T. Washington." //Biography.com //. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.