Cotton States and International Exposition - Booker T. Washington "Atlanta Compromise" Speech

Booker T. Washington "Atlanta Compromise" Speech

Further information: Atlanta Exposition Speech and Atlanta Compromise

The Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition Speech was an address on the topic of race relations given by Booker T. Washington on September 18, 1895 at the exposition. The speech laid the foundation for the Atlanta compromise, an agreement between African-American leaders and Southern white leaders in which Southern blacks would work weekly and submit to white political rule, while Southern whites guaranteed that blacks would receive basic education and due process in law. The speech was presented before a predominantly white audience and has been recognized as one of the most important, influential, and controversial speeches in American history.

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