Up From Slavery

The night school at Tuskegee grows just as quickly as the boarding day school, and it operates on the same model as Hampton. Students work during the day to pay for rooms and supplies, attending classes for two hours each evening. This allows even the poorest people to attend the school. Washington gives the night school special attention, as he believes that the people who are hardy enough to attend it are the most serious learners, and many of them have the best potential for a successful future. Like at Hampton, night school attendees eventually graduate to the regular day school, where students work two days per week and attend classes for four.

In 1885, Washington and Davidson get married. She continues her work in the school while also running the couple’s household and raising three children: two of her own boys with Washington as well as Portia, Washington’s daughter from his first marriage. Like Washington’s first wife, Olivia will die very young in 1889.

Around this same time, Washington begins his public speaking career, a role that he never envisioned for himself. He first speaks at a National Education Association conference in Madison, Wisconsin. His speech outlines the

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