ect Washington had for both a book and industrial education. To get into Hampton, the institution that gave him his book education, he needed the knowledge of the proper way to clean a room. At Hampton, Washington received a wide variety of knowledge from math to the Bible. He paid for his education by working as a janitor. Every hour he spent was either working or studying. It was at Hampton where he learned to study the Bible. This was taught to him by a Miss Nathalie Lord. Lord also taught him the art of public speaking, which became a large part of his later life. Washington writes, Whatever ability I may have as a public speaker I owe in a measure to Miss Lord, (64) Another person Washington met at Hampton was General Samuel C. Armstrong. Armstrong became Washingtons mentor and indeed the greatest influence on his life. Just reading a few descriptive lines about Armstrong, one can easily see the respective tone. He worked almost constantly night and day for the cause to which he had given his life. I never saw a man who so completely lost sight of himself. I do not believe he ever had a selfish thought, (58). In June of 1875, Washington graduated from Hampton on the honour roll. This allowed him to have the distinguished honor of speaking at the Commencement ceremonies. After Hampton, Washington held a waiter position in Connecticut. This lasted only a short time due to the fact that he wanted use his knowledge to teach others. For this he went home to Malden. There he taught day and night school for two years. Washington felt that he could reach the black community on a much lager level. He would later get this opportunity. In May of 1881, Washington received a letter from General Armstrong stating that two men were looking for someone to start a school in Tuskegee, Alabama. This provided Washington with the forum he needed to teach the full education he felt black students needed. On July 4, 1881, Washingtons school in Tuskegee o...
