What was the purpose of the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition?
The opening of Booker T. Washington's speech to the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition. The Cotton States and International Exposition Speech was an address on the topic of race relations given by Booker T. Washington on September 18, 1895, at the exposition in Atlanta.
Where was the Cotton Exposition in 1895?
December 31, 1895, attracted visitors from the U.S. and 13 countries. The 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition was held at the current Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
What is the Cotton States and International Exposition Speech?
The Cotton States and International Exposition Speech was an address on the topic of race relations given by Booker T. Washington on September 18, 1895, at the exposition in Atlanta.
What was Booker T Washington speech at the Atlanta Cotton Exposition?
The opening of Booker T. Washington's speech to the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition. King Cotton. "King Cotton," an 1895 John Philip Sousa march composed for the exposition and performed by the United States Marine Corps Band.
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Why was the Cotton Exposition in Atlanta Georgia significant?
These expositions helped Atlanta stake its claim as the center of the New South and helped relieve regional sectionalism that may have been lingering after the Civil War.
What was the purpose of the Atlanta Exposition Address?
Washington's 1895 Address to the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition is one of the most famous speeches in American history. The goal of the Atlanta Exposition was to showcase the economic progress of the South since the Civil War, to encourage international trade, and to attract investors to the region.
What is the exposition of 1895?
The Cotton States Exposition of 1895 was a world's fair in Atlanta held to stimulate foreign and domestic trade for a region in an economic depression. Theda Perdue uses the exposition to examine the competing agendas of white supremacist organizers and the peoples of color who participated.
Who spoke at the Atlanta Cotton Exposition?
Washington spoke before a predominantly white audience at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta. His “Atlanta Compromise” address, as it came to be called, was one of the most important and influential speeches in American history.
When was the Atlanta Exposition?
September 18, 1895The following is a transcript of Dr. Washington's most famous speech. It was presented in Atlanta, Georgia on September 18, 1895.
Why is the Atlanta Compromise important?
African Americans at 1895 Cotton States Exposition Washington delivered his "Atlanta Compromise" speech on September 18. The speech detailed Washington's accommodationist strategy of achieving racial equality, primarily through vocational training for African Americans.
What is the example of exposition?
One of the most popular examples of exposition in film occurs at the beginning of every Star Wars movie. Using a crawl of moving text, the spectator reads all the past details that they will need to know to understand where the plot of the film will begin.
What effect did the International Cotton Exposition have?
What effect did the International Cotton Exposition have? It demonstrated that Georgia had come out of Reconstruction ready for industry. What was the Democrats' intent to "redeem" the South? To restore Southern lifestyles that had been trampled during Reconstruction.
Who promoted the International Cotton Exposition?
The great promoter of the first two expositions was Henry W. Grady, the managing editor of the Atlanta Constitution and one of the framers of a new vision for the South and its economy. Atlanta held its first exposition, named the International Cotton Exposition, in Oglethorpe Park in 1881.
What does cast down your bucket mean?
“Cast Down Your Bucket”: Dr. Washington's belief that people should make the most of any situation they find themselves in. He felt that economic opportunity for African Americans was in the south instead of moving to the north.
What is Washington's central message in the Atlanta Exposition Address?
In this speech Washington shares his belief that his fellow African Americans and other former slaves should make the best of what they have and to strive to excel in the positions and jobs they already occupy rather than continually fighting for.
What phrase is used as a metaphor by Booker T. Washington in his Atlanta Exposition Address?
According to Booker T. Washington, black and white people of the United States of America can be “as separate as fingers, yet one as the hand” (par. 7). This line can be viewed as a noble metaphor, designed to emphasize the unity between all people of America, common goals and dreams, friendship and fellowship.
What is Washington's central message in the Atlanta Exposition Address?
In this speech Washington shares his belief that his fellow African Americans and other former slaves should make the best of what they have and to strive to excel in the positions and jobs they already occupy rather than continually fighting for.
What was Booker T Washington fighting for?
Booker T. Washington, educator, reformer and the most influentional black leader of his time (1856-1915) preached a philosophy of self-help, racial solidarity and accomodation. He urged blacks to accept discrimination for the time being and concentrate on elevating themselves through hard work and material prosperity.
When was the Atlanta Compromise?
What came to be known as the Atlanta Compromise stemmed from a speech given by Booker T. Washington, president of the Tuskegee Institute, to the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 18, 1895. It was first supported and later opposed by W. E. B.
What is meant by separate as the fingers?
"In all things purely social," he explained, "we can be as separate as the fingers, yet as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress." In his speech, Washington opposed unions and foreign immigration. He argued that these were not in the interests of African Americans.
What was the purpose of the Cotton States and International Exposition?
In the best known of a series of agricultural and business trade fairs founded in concepts of the New South, the Cotton States and International Exposition sought to publicize the Southern economy and attract further investment.
What are the only surviving features on the site of today's Piedmont Park and Atlanta Botanical Gardens?
The arts and government exposition buildings flank the carillon, 1895. The granite steps and the lake, Clara Meer, are the only surviving features on the site of today’s Piedmont Park and Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
What was the purpose of the Cotton States and International Exposition?
The exposition was designed to promote the American South to the world and showcase products and new technologies, as well as to encourage trade with Latin America. The Cotton States and International Exposition featured exhibits from several states including various innovations in agriculture and technology.
Who proposed the International Exposition in Atlanta?
The idea for an international exposition in Atlanta was first proposed by former mayor of Atlanta William Hemphill in November 1893. He would serve as the vice president and director of the exposition.
What was the Atlanta Botanical Garden?
Also constructed for the fair were the Tropical gardens, now known as the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and Lake Clara Meer which was originally a pond but was expanded to 11.5 acres (47,000 m 2) for the event. Today, the stone balustrades scattered around the park are the only remaining part of the enormous main building.
How much money was spent on the transformation of Piedmont Park?
Over $2,000,000 was spent on the transformation of Piedmont Park. The government allocated $250,000 for the construction of a government building and many states and countries such as Argentina also had their own buildings.
What was the purpose of the Women's Exposition?
The Exposition in the Women's Building thus introduced new ideas to foster trade and collaboration between the southern states and Northern states, and to also show ideas, products, and facilities to the rest of the nation and to Europe.
Who gave the Atlanta compromise speech?
Booker T. Washington giving " Atlanta compromise " speech. Negro Building at Expo. The 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition was held at the current Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Nearly 800,000 visitors attended the event. The exposition was designed to promote the American South to the world and showcase products ...
Who was the chief of the Negro Building at the 1895 Expo?
December 26, 1895, was Negro Day at the Expo. Famed African American quilter Harriet Powers also attended this day and met with Irvine Garland Penn , the chief of the Negro Building at the Expo. Woman's Building. The Women's Building exhibitions were curated by women from Georgia.
Why did Atlanta have a fair?
For Atlanta, a small city by comparison to other world's fair towns with only 75,000 population in 1895, it was an audacious undertaking. The decades surrounding the millennium were filled with fairs that attempted to jumpstart their towns to a higher status; Omaha 1898, Portland 1905, and in 1895, it was Atlanta. An industrial exposition would expand the idea of the south in arts and industries and civic leaders bought into the idea, pledging $238,000 to its organization. Smaller industrial fairs beneath the international scale had been previously held in the city, i.e. 1881 and 1887, so Atlanta knew how to mount an exposition. They achieved federal recognition and opened the fair in Piedmont Park with President Grover Cleveland, using an electric wire to put the machines of the fair in motion from his summer home at Buzzard's Bay.
How much money did the Exposition lose?
It lost money, even after the directors influx, a marginal $25,000. Overall, however, it was considered a success. Its backers were pleased with the increase in economic activity and population that ensued.
Who wrote the King Cotton march?
John Philip Sousa wrote the "King Cotton" march for the exposition.
Who was the Exposition Committee?
The Exposition Committee, which was comprised of wealthy Southern businessmen, including Sam uel Inman and Charles Collier, appointed Washington to help tout the New South movement.
Who gave the Atlanta compromise speech?
When Booker T. Washington delivered his famous, “Atlanta Compromise,” speech inside Gilbert’s Auditorium on opening day of the 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition, it was the first time an African-American addressed a mixed (albeit separately seated) audience in the South.
How many people poured into Piedmont Park?
However, as nearly 1 million people poured through Piedmont Park from September 18 through December 31, 1895, it was not the “Atlanta Compromise,” or Fine Arts Building, or even the Transportation or Woman’s buildings, which legitimized the New South.
Description
On September 18, 1895, Booker T. Washington was selected to give a speech that would open the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia. The speech, which is often referred to as the "Atlanta Compromise," was the first speech given by an African American to a racially-mixed audience in the South.
Source-Dependent Questions
What did Booker T. Washington ask of the African-American members of his audience? What did he ask of the white members of his audience?
Citation Information
Washington, Booker T., "Address By Booker T. Washington, Principal Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, Tuskegee, Alabama, At Opening Of Atlanta Exposition," 18 September 1895. Courtesy of Library of Congress
The 1881 International Cotton Exposition
- Atlanta held its first exposition, named the International Cotton Exposition, in Oglethorpe Park in 1881. The city then had fewer than 40,000 residents, and the primary sense in which the first exposition was “international” was the display of cotton plants from around the world. Nevertheless, Atlantans were eager to host the 1881 exposition to promote investment and to h…
The 1887 Piedmont Exposition
- The Piedmont Exposition, held during October 1887, was a more regional event, with nearly 20,000 visitors on opening day. A crowd of more than 50,000 was on hand when Grady introduced the popular U.S. president, Grover Cleveland. After the exposition closed, civic leaders agreed that it had successfully expanded Atlanta’s reputation as a place to visit and to conduct business.
The 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition
- The most ambitious of the city’s cotton expositions was staged in 1895. The Cotton States and International Exposition’s goals were to foster trade between southern states and South American nations as well as to show the products and facilities of the region to the rest of the nation and to Europe. The exposition was opened remotely by U.S. presid...
Overview
The 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The exposition was designed "to foster trade between southern states and South American nations as well as to show the products and facilities of the region to the rest of the nation and to Europe."
The Cotton States and International Exposition featured exhibits from six states, including vario…
Background
The idea for an international exposition in Atlanta was first proposed by former mayor of Atlanta William Hemphill in November 1893. He served as the vice president and director of the exposition.
The supervising architect for the entire fair was New York architect Bradford Lee Gilbert. . He designed the Administration Building with Main Entrance and Exits, the Agricultural Building, the …
Exhibits
The exposition included many exhibits in the categories of Minerals and Forestry, Agriculture, Food and Accessories, Machinery and Appliances, Horticulture, Machinery, Manufactures, Electricity, Fine Arts, Painting and Sculpture, Liberal Arts, Education and Literature.
In late September Charles Francis Jenkins demonstrated an early movie project…
Booker T. Washington's speech
The "Atlanta Compromise" speech was an address on the topic of race relations given by Booker T. Washington on September 18, 1895, at the exposition in Atlanta. The speech laid the foundation for the Atlanta compromise, an agreement between African-American leaders and Southern white leaders in which Southern blacks would work meekly and submit to white political rule, while whites guaranteed that blacks would receive basic education and due process of law. The speec…
Legacy
The Cotton States Exposition successfully showcased Atlanta as a business center and attracted investment to the city.
After the exposition, the grounds were purchased by the City of Atlanta and became Piedmont Park and the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The buildings were demolished, but the park grounds remain largely as Joseph Forsyth Johnson designed it for the exposition. However, the stone balu…
Further reading
• Mullis, Sharon M. (Fall 1976). "Extravaganza of the New South: The Cotton States and international Exposition, 1895". Atlanta Historical Bulletin. Atlanta Historical Society. 20 (3): 17–36 – via Atlanta History Center.
• Perdue, Theda. Race and the Atlanta Cotton States Exposition of 1895 (2010).
External links
• Fred L. Howe 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition Photographs from the Atlanta History Center
• Cotton States Exposition of 1895 historical marker