September 18 - The Atlanta Compromise

Labor History in 2:00 · Sep 18, 2026 · 1m

On this day in Labor History the year was 1895.

That was the day that Booker T. Washington delivered what came to be known as the “Atlanta Compromise Speech,” which outlined his vision for race relations and black labor in the South.

Washington was the founder of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, a college to train black students for careers in teaching, farming and other trades.

Washington was invited to give an address to the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta.

It was the first time that a black man was asked to speak before a black and white Southern…