He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry.' Booker T. Washington's devotion to the virtues of godliness, honesty, thrift, perseverance, cleanliness and hard work left a honorable legacy that's inspired many. This is part of American History, that all students should know.

About the Author: 

Booker Taliaferro Washington (1856-1915) was born into slavery. After the Civil War he obtained a basic education while working as a coal miner and other jobs. After many difficulties, he studied at Hampton Institute in Virginia (1872-1875). He became an instructor at Hampton and in 1881 was asked to start a Negro normal school at Tuskegee, Alabama. He started Tuskegee Institute with one instructor, himself, and 30 students in borrowed quarters. Later, the school was moved just outside the town to an old plantation where it remains to this day.