May 5
May 5, 1856
Booker T. Washington Delivers Atlanta Compromise Speech
Although the speech was given on September 18, Booker T. Washington was born into slavery on a Virginia plantation. On May 5, 1856, his legacy of founding Tuskegee Institute and advocating for Black economic self-sufficiency through education shaped a generation of African American thought and debate.
People: Booker T. Washington
Sources
1. Booker T. Washington and the Atlanta Compromise - National Park ServiceMay 5, 1905
Robert Abbott Founds the Chicago Defender
On May 5, 1905, Robert Sengstacke Abbott founded the Chicago Defender with an initial print run of 300 copies. The newspaper's advocacy for Northern migration helped fuel the Great Migration of African Americans from the South. By the 1920s, it had a national circulation of over 200,000.
People: Robert Abbott
Sources
1. Robert S. Abbott and the Chicago Defender - Library of CongressLink copied!
Enjoy learning about Black history?
Subscribe for a new moment delivered to your inbox every day.
Unsubscribe anytime · No spam