Continuing from page 66, ‘The Tuskegee Idea’ goes into details about Booker T. Washington’s philosophy and the thriving start of Tuskegee institute. It also mentioned ideologies of black people during that time, such as ‘voting from principle’ and the ‘Ecoduster Movement’. The passage started by referred to Washington’s humble approach to gaining much need support from both white and black communities. According to the book, he knew that rich white people had the power and control to either help or hinder advancement.
During this time period, there was a growing ‘Exodus’ in which black people were leaving the hard conditions of country living and moving to city and urban areas where they had better opportunities. The passage relates how this exodus was hurting white business and threatened the steady supply of agricultural labor, particularly in the cotton fields. Apart from the masses of people leaving and hurting business, White people did not sit well with the idea of blacks having the opportunity to go to school because of their fear that black people who would be inspired to seek greater things than they were given. According to the passage, the general idea that many white people held about an educated black person was that their enlightened mind would grant them new nefarious thoughts to live by illegal on dishonest means (this is still an echoed belief today…).
According to the passage, a popular school that attracted many freed blacks seeking an education was the Albany Enterprise Academy. This academy was black-owned and operated. Washington’s second wife, Olivia Davidson moved to Albany with her family where she became a school teacher. Her life rivaled that of Washington, because of their similar background and goals. According to the passage, the death of her brother by the hands of the Ku Klux Klan prompted her to move to Memphis and then Tuskegee where she continued to