The Athens Clipper: Booker T. Washington’s 1895 Atlanta Exposition Speech

This is an original newspaper dated September 21, 1895, from The Athens Clipper (Athens, Georgia), reporting on Booker T. Washington’s celebrated speech at the opening of the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition.

The front page includes a rare illustration and transcription of Washington’s address, alongside coverage of Black educational institutions such as the Knox Institute.

This document captures one of the earliest published records of Washington’s “Atlanta Compromise” speech, in which he advocated for Black economic progress and social pragmatism within the segregated South. His words profoundly influenced Black leadership, education, and civil rights debates for generations.

The newspaper also provides insight into the perspectives of Black communities in post-Reconstruction Georgia and highlights the active presence and self-advocacy of Black institutions such as the Knox Institute during the late 19th century.