Booker T Washington

Booker T Washington was born into slavery on April 5, 1856 in Franklin County, Virginia. His mother was a plantation cook and his father was an unknown white man. In those times some white fathers of black children would provide an education and some type of vocational training for their black children. Some even freed their offspring. Little is known about Washington's father except that he did not provide anything more than the basics of life, and it is believed that he never publicly acknowledged his child.

Washington's mother eventually married another slave. At some point during the civil war, her new husband escaped from his owner. After the North won the war, Washington's mother and three children left the plantation and found his stepfather. Life didn't get much easier for Washington; Washington's stepfather put him to work in the West Virgina salt mines and only consented to allow Washington an education if it didn't interfere with work.Up until that time, Booker had only known his first name. He needed more than that for school, so he told the teacher his last name was Washington. His mother had told him that his white father was named Taliaferro; that gave him a middle name.

Washington loved education, but hated the salt mines. After hearing some small talk about a black college in Hampton Virginia, he decided to investigate. He exhausted his meager funds quickly and slept wherever it looked safe and ate whatever he could find. He was elated when he was accepted into Hampton Institute and provided work as a janitor.

Washington was an excellent student, and he was accepted by Wayland Seminary. In 1881, Hampton president Samuel C. Armstrong lobbied for Washington to become the first teacher and principal of Tuskegee Institute, an Alabama black teachers' college.

Washington belonged to the last generation of black leaders born into slavery. Until his death in 1915, he was the de facto leader of the American black community.

In 1895, Washington delivered his "Atlanta Compromise" speech. In the speech, Washington encouraged equality and integration, but renounced agitation and protest. He urged blacks to work on improving education so that they could attain more standing, but not necessarily complete equality with whites. This endeared him to the white community and didn't alienate him from the black community. It wasn't until the last years of his life that more aggressive black leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois begin to criticize his propensity to compromise at the perceived expense of his own community.

Washington wrote a best-selling autobiography (Up From Slavery, 1901) and advised Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft on race relations. Even his critics proclaim Booker T Washington as America's foremost black orator and educator of the early 20th century.

Booker T Washington's autograph is very desirable and most collectors of American history would love to own it. During his years at Tuskegee Institute Washington signed thousands of autographs, many of them on cards like the one I own.

He composed thousands of letters and signed many of his books. Probably many have survived to the present, but the demand is great enough that when priced right they sell quickly.

A signed card is worth between $200 - $250. The average autographed letter signed (ALS) might bring $800. The average typed letter with a signature (TLS) is worth in the neighborhood of $350. If the letter has great content it would probably sell for more than $1,000, ALS or TLS. Signed photos sell for $1,000 - up.

Booker T Washington on eBay