National Response to the Atlanta Address

National Response to the Atlanta Address

Response to Washington's Atlanta Address was enthusiastic. Newspapers across the country reported on the speech favorably and printed the full text. The Boston Transcript said in its editorial: "The sensation it has caused in the press has never been equaled."

"The most remarkable address ever delivered by a colored man. The speech stamps Booker T. Washington as a wise counselor and a safe leader."

Atlanta Constitution

Letters of endorsement for Washington's speech poured in from whites as well as many African Americans. Yet reaction to the address was not all favorable. Black response to the speech varied widely.

Bishop Henry McNeal Turner felt that Washington "will have to live a long time to undo the harm he has done our race."

Some African Americans who initially congratulated Washington on the Atlanta Address would become his greatest critics.

"He said something that was death to the Afro-American and elevating to the white people."

W. Calvin Chase, editor of the Washington Bee.

 

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