5-1 (06)
release dates: January 28-February 3
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Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
© 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
By BETTY DEBNAM
From Slavery to Education
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington, one of the
most important educators in American
history, was born as a slave 150 years
ago. Twenty-five years later, he helped
build Tuskegee Institute in Alabama,
one of the first schools for AfricanAmericans.
The Mini Page celebrates Black
History Month with a story about this
man and his university.
Booker T.
Washington
works in his
office at the
Tuskegee
Institute. He
built this
college from
the ground up.
It became an
important
college.
Growing up in slavery
Booker Taliaferro Washington was
born into slavery in 1856 in Hales
Ford, Va. It was illegal for slaves to
learn to read and write at that time.
When he was about 5 years old, he
had to carry the books of his owner’s
children to school for them. He would
look through the windows and watch
them in school, longing to learn
himself.
He later
wrote: “I
had the
feeling that
to get into a
schoolhouse
and study
would be
about the same as getting into
paradise.”
The owner’s daughters taught him
to read and write, although this
worried his mother. If slaves were
caught reading, they could be
punished, sold or even killed. But his
desire to learn was so strong that he
braved those threats.
photo by Frances Benjamin
Johnston, Library of Congress
LCJ694-1, courtesy National Park
Service
After the Civil War
Going to college
When Booker was about 9, the Civil
War ended and the U.S.
government freed all the
slaves. His family
moved to Malden,
W. Va., where his stepfather
worked in the salt mines. Booker
began working in the salt mines
as well.
School was still very important to
him. He began going to
school for the first
time. He went to
work in the salt
mines at 4 a.m.,
worked there all
morning, went to school
in the afternoon, and went back to
work in the mines until about 10
at night.
When he was about 17, Booker T.
Washington traveled to Hampton
Normal School, a school for black
students in Hampton, Va.
The main purpose of Hampton was
to train students for future jobs.
Part of Washington’s entrance
exam was to sweep the floor.
He had to do it over about
five times, until the
instructor thought he got it
right. This was part of the
way Hampton taught. The
school wanted students to
be clean in every way, and
to do everything they did well.
Booker later carried many of those
beliefs over to Tuskegee. He worked
his way through school by working as
a janitor at Hampton Normal School.
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5-2 (06); release dates: January 28-February 3
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
The Tuskegee Institute
photo by Frances Benjamin Johnston, Library of Congress LC J694-39,
courtesy National Park Service
Tuskegee University in Tuskegee,
Ala., is a highly respected university
today, 125 years after it was founded
as Tuskegee Institute. It began in
1881 with 30 students, and today has
about 3,000. It is best known for its
programs in agriculture, veterinary
medicine and aerospace science.
The beginning
Lewis Adams, a former slave, was
an important businessman and
leader in the Tuskegee area. W. F.
Foster, a white man, asked Adams to
help him get the black vote for his
election to the state legislature.
Adams said he would if Foster
helped start a school
for black students in
his county. Foster
kept his promise and helped persuade
the state of Alabama to start the school.
The state gave money for teachers’
salaries, but gave no money for land or
buildings. When Booker T. Washington
became the first principal, he had to
raise this money himself.
One of the main purposes of the
Tuskegee Institute was to train
teachers. At this time there were not
enough teachers trained to teach
black students.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Spy . . .
Students attend
classes in one of the
first buildings of
Tuskegee Institute in
1902. This college
was not only one of
the most advanced
schools for teaching
African-Americans,
but it was advanced
in women’s
education as well.
Men and women
attended classes in
the same classroom,
which was unusual
at that time.
Learning trades
Tuskegee grows
When Washington led the school,
he thought it was most important
that African-American students
learn a trade. He wanted them to be
independent.
Students learned many trades
such as construction, farming, bricklaying and cooking. Students learned
their trades by doing them, helping to
build Tuskegee from the ground up.
The first students
cleared the land, made
the bricks, built the
buildings, planted the
crops to feed the
students and cooked the food.
After Booker T. Washington died,
the second principal, Robert Russa
Moton, added other classes so that
Tuskegee could offer regular fouryear college degrees.
During World
War II, Tuskegee
began training
pilots. The
all-black
squadrons of the Tuskegee Airmen
received many medals for their
brave service during the war.
After the war, many of these
airmen and others became leaders in
the civil rights movement.
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The Mini Page gang and their friends are visiting a library
to read about Booker T. Washington. See if you can find:
• letter A
• carrot
• cat
• word MINI
• sailboat
• pencil
• letter B
• snake
• lips • kite
• bell
• letter U
• letter L
Brown
Basset ws
The Ned’s
Houn
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from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Booker T.
Washington
TRY ’N
FIND
Words that remind us of Booker T. Washington are hidden in the
block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if
you can find: SLAVERY, EDUCATION, PRINCIPAL, TUSKEGEE,
SCHOOL, READ, WRITE, BOOK, STUDENTS, MINE, EXAM,
TEACH, BUILD, CLASSES, PRESIDENTS, JOB, FREE, RIGHTS,
SEGREGATION.
S T U S K E G E E E M I N E S
EDUCATION IS
R C J O B L A P I C N I R P L
SO IMPORTANT!
I F H V P R E S I D E N T S A
G E R O K S E S S A L C T L V
H X U E O V S T N E D U T S E
T A L N E L G H H H C A E T R
S M N U E T I R W D L I U B Y
N O I T A G E R G E S D A E R
N V N O I T A C U D E K O O B
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5-3 (06); release dates: January 28-February 3
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
TM
Go dot to dot and color this important
educator.
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Cheesy Potato Casserole
• 1 (2-pound) bag frozen hashed-brown potatoes
• 8 ounces shredded sharp cheese
• 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
• 2 (10-ounce) cans potato soup
• dash salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup butter, sliced
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
What to do:
1. Butter a large casserole dish and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix the first five ingredients together.
3. Pour into casserole dish and spread evenly.
4. Place butter slices on top.
5. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
6. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 50 minutes.
Makes 10 servings.
Note: You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
You’ll need:
Meet Oprah Winfrey
©2004 Harpo Productions, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Photographer: Matthew Rolston
Many know Oprah as a talk-show host, but
she has many more talents. She is a producer,
educator and magazine founder. She is also a
philanthropist, which means she has started and
supports many charities worldwide.
Oprah was born in Kosciusko, Miss. Her
career began when she was hired by a local radio
station to read the news in Nashville, Tenn. Then, at 19, she
became a TV news anchor. Later, she moved to Chicago and
became known to many as the talk-show host of “The Oprah
Winfrey Show” in 1985.
That same year, she played the part of Sofia in the movie “The
Color Purple,” one of her biggest film successes. It is now a
musical on Broadway. Oprah also has produced and starred in
TV movies.
She is very interested in literacy and started Oprah’s Book
Club, the largest in the world. She currently lives in Chicago. On
Jan. 29 she will be 52.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
The Mini Page®
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Flags of Our States Poster
Alabama
• Full-color flags from all
50 states
• Date each state entered
the union
Missouri
TO
C
K
R IGH T
ES
M IN
All the following jokes have something in common.
Can you guess the common theme or category?
IL
To
L
GRA
IN
1869
O
To
From
ES
S
EQUA
L IV
1890
Wyoming
• Display size is 221/2 inches by
281/2 inches
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Ted: What is a good name for an unidentified
flying cow?
Tina: A Moo-F-O!
Terrence: What did the astronaut see in
his pan while he was cooking?
Tami: An unidentified frying object!
Thomas: What did the detective discover when
he looked up?
Tim: A Clue-F-O!
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5-4 (06); release dates: January 28-February 3
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Booker T. Washington
Building Tuskegee Institute
photo by Frances Benjamin Johnston, Library of Congress LC J694-260,
courtesy National Park Service
Booker T. Washington studied to
become a teacher, and began
teaching American Indian students
at the Hampton Normal School.
When people in Alabama wanted
to start a school for black students,
they wanted to hire an older white
man as the first principal. But the
principal of the Hampton Institute
convinced them that Booker T.
Washington would be the best man
for the job.
When he took the job as the first
principal of Tuskegee, he was only
25. He was the principal of a school
that had not been built yet. There
was not even one building built or
another teacher hired.
He began teaching
classes in a chicken
coop outside a
church. He raised
funds to build the
school and bought
an orchard that had
been burned during the Civil War.
The first students and teachers in
the school built the first buildings
for the institute.
He searched throughout the country
for the top African-Americans in
their fields and brought them in to
teach. One of those people was
George Washington Carver, one of
the top scientists in the U.S.
photo by Frances Benjamin Johnston, Library of Congress
LC J694-107, courtesy National Park Service
Becoming famous
Students at Tuskegee Institute build the
roof on one of the first buildings.
Although most women learned trades
such as cooking and basket making, many
also helped build the first buildings.
Booker T. Washington
had one daughter and
two sons, shown here.
His first wife, Fannie
Smith, a teacher, helped
him build the Tuskegee
Institute. They had one
daughter. When Fannie
died, he married a
teacher, Olivia Davidson.
They had two sons.
After she died, he
married again, to
Margaret Murray. She
ran the women’s
program at Tuskegee.
Supporting his cause
As principal of Tuskegee Institute,
At first, Washington believed that
Booker T. Washington became wellwhite and black people could work
known. He became an important
together, but stay separate at other
adviser to some of the most powerful
times. He did not fight segregation.
people in the country, including
This made many people angry.
Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and
But when he saw that segregation
William Howard Taft.
policies were hurting black people, he
Then he wrote a book about his
began supporting civil rights causes. He
own life, “Up From Slavery.” When
supported several newspapers for the
this was published in 1901, he
African-American community. He began
became even more famous.
speaking out against discrimination.
At that time,
He died in 1915 when he was only
many once59. He had suffered from many
enslaved people
physical problems, including
did not know any
exhaustion, after a life of working to
trades except
better the lives of black people
what they had
through education.
learned on the farms or in the fields. The Mini Page thanks Tyrone Brandyburg,
The only jobs they could find were as chief of interpretation and resource
farm laborers. This kept them poor and education, Tuskegee National Park Service,
dependent on the white landowners. for help with this issue.
Washington thought that black
Site to see: www.nps.gov/tuin
people needed to believe in
themselves and own property before Look through your newspaper for stories
and pictures about schools and students’
they could be really free. To achieve
this, he thought they needed to learn achievements.
trades, or how to do many jobs.
Next week The Mini Page is about the
He believed that once Africansports of the Winter Olympics.
Americans owned property, they would
have power in society and would gain
The Mini Page is created and edited by
all their rights, such as the right to vote.
Betty Debnam
Many other black leaders thought
Associate Editors
Staff Artist
he was giving in to powerful white
Tali Denton
Wendy Daley
people and not moving fast enough.
Lucy Lien
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photo by Frances Benjamin
Johnston, Library of Congress
LCJ694-1, courtesy National
Park Service
Read all about
Booker T.
Washington
in
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
newspaper on ____________.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam
© 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
(Note to Editor: Above is cameraready, one column-by-41/4-inch ad
promoting Issue 5.)
release dates: January 28-February 3
5-5 (06)
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The MIni Page Publishing Company Inc.
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
Standards Spotlight:
Booker T. Washington
TM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each
week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer
activities that will help your students reach them.
Supersport: Shelden Williams
This week’s standards:
• Students understand how democratic values came to be, and how they have
been exemplified by people, events and symbols. (History)
• Students understand and appreciate the contributions made by significant
individuals in the country’s history. (Social Studies)
Activities:
1. Draw a picture of Booker T. Washington during an important time in his life.
Write a sentence explaining your picture.
2. Use newspaper words and pictures to make a poster that shows Booker T.
Washington’s contributions to our country.
3. Write six headlines that tell the story of Booker T. Washington’s life.
4. Find three people in the newspaper whom you think Booker T. Washington
might like to meet. Explain your choices.
5. Pretend you are Booker T. Washington and are just beginning the Tuskegee
Institute. You need the support of the community to build your school. Write a
letter you could send to business and community leaders explaining why your
school is important and what they could do to help.
Height: 6-9
Birthdate: 10-21-83
Weight: 250
Hometown: Forest Park, Okla.
To win a national championship, basketball teams
normally need a tough, talented big man. Top-ranked Duke
has that man — All-American Shelden Williams.
Shelden is a Blue Devils senior and nicknamed “The
Landlord” because of his dominance in the lane. He won National
Defensive Player of the Year honors last season. He set a school record
for blocked shots with 122 and also averaged a double-double in
scoring (15.5 points per game) and rebounding (11.2).
Shelden grew up in Oklahoma. He starred in basketball and was a
National Honor Society student. He comes from a basketball family.
His dad, Bob, played at Oklahoma Christian College, and his brother,
Quincy, is currently playing for North Texas.
Shelden is a sociology major. One of his favorite hobbies is fishing.
But at the moment, he wants to reel in that big national
championship trophy for Duke.
(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)
(Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 5.)
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 5, to be used
in place of ad if desired.)
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