Booker T. Washington correspondence, 1903-1916, 1933 and undated

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Summary

Creator:
Washington, Booker T., 1856-1915
Abstract:
American educator, born a slave in Franklin County, Virginia. Founder and president of Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. Collection comprises correspondence and related material concerning the Carnegie Hall conference (January 6-8, 1904) and the subsequent formation of the Committee of Twelve for the Advancement of the Negro Race by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. The letters in the collection document the Committee of Twelve's work, contain commentary on the status of African Americans, and detail Washington's relationships with many of the key African American leaders of his day. The most striking is Washington's correspondence with W.E.B. Du Bois, where the tension and ideological conflict between the two men is clearly demonstrated. Other prominent correspondents include Charles W. Chesnutt, John S. Durham, Thomas Fortune, Marcus Garvey, Archibald Grimké; Francis J. Grimké, James Weldon Johnson, Judson W. Lyons, Fredrick L. McGhee, Whitefield McKinlay, Kelly Miller, Robert R. Moton, Charles W. Russell, Emmett J. Scott, and Alexander Walters. Acquired as part of the John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture.
Extent:
0.5 Linear Feet
107 Items
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.01347

Background

Scope and content:

The collection comprises over 90 pieces of correspondence and related materials concerning the Carnegie Hall Conference (January 6-8, 1904) and the subsequent formation of the Committee of Twelve for the Advancement of the Interest of the Negro Race. The conference was a critical event in the early history of the African American civil rights movement. It was organized by Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, and it brought together many of the most prominent African American leaders in the United States. The Committee broke up in 1905 due to differences between the leaders.

The letters in the collection provide documentary evidence for the Committee of Twelve's evolution and work, as well as commentary on the status of African Americans. They detail Washington's relationships with many of the key African American leaders of his day. The most striking is Washington's correspondence with W.E.B. Du Bois, where the tension and ideological conflict between the two men is clearly demonstrated. Other prominent correspondents include Charles W. Chesnutt, John S. Durham, Thomas Fortune, Marcus Garvey, Archibald Grimké; Francis J. Grimké, James Weldon Johnson, Judson W. Lyons, Fredrick L. McGhee, Whitefield McKinlay, Kelly Miller, Robert R. Moton, Charles W. Russell, Emmett J. Scott, and Alexander Walters.

Other materials in the collection include copies of the pamphlet "Why disfranchisement is bad" (July 1904); a photocopy of and a copy of the original article, "The estimate of an eminent Virginian of the merit of the book THE WHITE MAN'S BURDEN"; and a poem, "The Empty Sleeve".

Acquired as part of the John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture.

Biographical / historical:

Booker Taliaferro Washington, American educator, civil rights advocate, author, writer, and orator, was born a slave in Franklin County, Virginia, April 5, 1856. Founder and president of Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama (1881), Washington was a spokesman for the post-Reconstruction conservative viewpoint among African Americans who favored self-improvement, industrial education, and acquiescence to segregation, rather than agitation for more extensive civil and political rights. W.E.B. DuBois criticized this stance and called Washington "The Great Accommodator." Among Washington's written works are My life and work (1900), and Up from slavery (1901), The man farthest down (1912), and many articles and speeches. Following a sudden health crisis in New York City, Washington died in Tuskegee, Alabama on November 14, 1915, at the age of 59.

Acquisition information:
The Booker T. Washington correspondence was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 2002.
Processing information:

Processed by Rubenstein Library staff

Encoded by Jessica Carew and Paula Jeannet, May 2014

Accession(s) described in this finding aid: 2002-0221

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Original correspondence is closed to use; copies are available for access.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. There may be a 48-hour delay in obtaining these materials.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Booker T. Washington Correspondence, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1hm85