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Booker T. Washington

The Atlanta Compromise was a proposal put forth by Booker T. Washington (pictured) in a speech given in 1895. He urged Southern blacks to accept segregation and temporarily refrain from campaigning for equal rights. In return, Southern whites would allow blacks to receive basic legal protections such as land ownership, work opportunities, and vocational and industrial education. The proposal met with opposition from fellow African-American leader W. E. B. Du Bois, who instead urged blacks to fight aggressively for equal rights. Under the direction of Washington's Tuskegee Machine, the Compromise was the dominant policy pursued by black leaders in the South from 1895 to 1915. During this period, the educational opportunities for blacks improved. However, Southern states adopted Jim Crow laws, which codified segregation and racism, and prevented blacks from voting. Equal rights for Southern blacks were not significantly advanced until the civil rights movement of the 1960s. (Full article...)