Long description:

Washington's gradual rise to prominence as an educator, race leader, and shrewd political broker is revealed in this volume, which covers his career from May 1889 to September 1895, when he delivered the famous speech often called the Atlanta Compromise address. Much of the volume relates to Washington's role as principal of Tuskegee Institute, where he built a powerful base of operations for his growing influence with white philanthropists in the North, southern white leaders, and the black community.  

"Those who would gain a serious understanding of the nature of the black past will look forward to the subsequent volumes of the Washington papers."--John H. Bracey, Jr., New York Times Book Review