Booker T. Washington to Charles W. Chesnutt, 25 October 1906
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October 25, 1906.
Mr. Charles W. Chesnutt,
Williamson Bldg., Cleveland, O.
My dear Mr. Chesnutt:-
By this mail I am sending you a little book, "Putting the Most into Life," which I thought you and Mrs. Chesnutt might like to possess.1
Yours truly, Booker T. Washington H2Correspondent: Booker T. Washington (1856–1913), one of the most well-known Black activists of the early 20th century, was born into slavery in Virginia. In 1881, he became the president of what would become the Tuskegee Institute, advocating widely as a speaker and writer for technical education for Blacks, whose entry into American industry and business leadership he believed to be the road to equality. His political power was significant, but because he frequently argued for compromise with White Southerners, including on voting rights, he was also criticized by other Black activists, especially by W. E. B. Du Bois.
1. Booker T. Washington's Putting the Most into Life was a collection of six of his "Sunday Evening Talks," intended to give life advice to Tuskegee students. It was printed as a 60-page booklet in September 1906 (New York City: Thomas Crowell). Washington sent Chesnutt and his wife a copy on October 25, 1906. [back]
2. Nathan Hunt (18??–1932) became Booker T. Washington's stenographer and private secretary in 1895 and remained on his staff until Washington's death, often traveling with him while Emmett J. Scott (1873–1957), Washington's main secretary after 1898, stayed in Tuskegee. Hunt also served as secretary to Robert R. Moton (1867–1940), Washington's successor at Tuskegee Institute. [back]
