Divide students into small groups, and assign each small group one of the following works by Booker T. Washington.

• Washington’s Address at the Jubilee Thanksgiving Services in Chicago (1898)
• “Democracy and Education” (1896) (Note: contains racial slurs)(External resource)
• “Education Not Exclusive” (1900) (External resource)
• “My View of Segregation Laws” (1915) (External resource)

Have each small group create a poster to teach the class about their document. Each poster should contain the following elements:

• What was Washington’s intent with this work?
• To what extent was he successful, and why or why not?
• What’s the most important quotation or detail from your assigned document?

Hang the posters around the room in chronological order of when they were created and facilitate a gallery walk so that all students have time to read and reflect on all the posters. 

After the gallery walk, have students write an individual reflection in response to the following questions:

• In what ways did Booker T. Washington contribute to campaigns for racial progress during the Jim Crow era?
• How and why did Booker T. Washington’s philosophy evolve throughout his life and career?
• How should historians evaluate the legacy of Booker T. Washington?