Booker T. Washington and the Brick School
Booker T. Washington helped students make bricks and build a growing school in Alabama.
Play the quiz as a gameHeading: Bricks for Tuskegee School
In 1881, Booker T. Washington went to Alabama to lead a new school for Black students. The school was first called Tuskegee Normal School. Later, it became Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. Today, it is called Tuskegee University.
At first, the school had few buildings and few supplies. Washington wanted students to learn useful skills along with reading and writing. He believed learning by doing could help students serve their communities.
Students learned to make bricks from clay. Then they used the bricks to build school rooms. They also learned farming, cooking, and carpentry. Their work gave the school more rooms. Their new skills helped them find work and help others.
A photo at the school has a caption that says, “Students make bricks for a school building.” The caption helps readers connect the students’ work with the growing campus.
Washington guided the school, but many hands helped it grow. The students’ work and learning were connected. While they built the school, the school built their skills and hopes.