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Primary sourceBook1909

The Story of the Negro

Booker T. Washington · 1909

A two-volume history by Booker T. Washington, published in 1909, that traces Black progress from Africa through slavery. The archive holds an image of its plain red cloth cover.

Washington wrote this history himself, presenting himself as a historian of the Black experience from Africa through slavery.

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Plain dark red cloth book cover with a subtle woven texture and a small faint light spot on the left side. No title or text is visible.
Booker T. Washington, The Story of the Negro, 1909. Doubleday, Page & Co.

About this source

What it is

This is a two-volume history written by Booker T. Washington and published in 1909 by Doubleday, Page & Co. The image in the archive shows only the plain dark red cloth cover, with no title visible. The opening text describes how enslaved people learned the story of the Israelites from the Bible and sang freedom songs with a double meaning.

Why it matters

Washington wrote this work as a historian, building a narrative of Black progress from Africa through slavery. It shows how he understood the history of African Americans and how he wanted readers to see their long struggle for freedom. Reading it alongside other Black writers of the period shows how different authors told that story.

Look closer

  • What does the cover tell you about how this book was produced, and what can it not show you?
  • How does the opening passage describe the hopes of enslaved people, and which sources does it point to?
  • Why might Washington have chosen to tell this history as a story of progress?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Booker T. Washington on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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