1905 African American newspaperEarliest COCA COLA ad in a Negro newspaper

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SEE PHOTOS----- COMPLETE, ORIGINAL and exceedingly rare early Black published newspaper, the Indianapolis Weekly Freeman (Indiana) dated Sept 9, 1905. This issue has a prominent inside page heading and LONG DETAILED report on Negro leader BOOKER T WASHINGTON and his philosophy on race relations in the early 20th Century. There is also an inside page news report on very very early NEGRO BASEBALL !! There is also a back page ad for COCA COLA, the earliest Coke ad I have seen in a Black printed or Black oriented publication !! Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. He was the dominant figure in the African-American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915. Representative of the last generation of black American leaders born in slavery, he spoke on behalf of the large majority of blacks who lived in the South but had lost their ability to vote through disfranchisement by southern legislatures. While his opponents called his powerful network of supporters the "Tuskegee Machine," Washington maintained power because of his ability to gain support of numerous groups: influential whites; the black business, educational and religious communities nationwide; financial donations from philanthropists, and his accommodation to the political realities of the age of Jim Crow segregation . Washington was born into slavery to Jane, an enslaved woman, and a white father, a nearby planter, in a rural area of the southwestern Virginia Piedmont. After emancipation, his mother moved the family to rejoin her husband in West Virginia ; there Washington worked in a variety of manual labor jobs before making his way to Hampton Roads seeking an education. He worked his way through Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University ) and attended college at Wayland Seminary (now Virginia Union University ). In 1876, Washington returned to live in Malden, West Virginia , teaching Sunday School at African Zion Baptist Church ; he married his first wife, Fannie Smith, at the church in 1881. After returning to Hampton as a teacher, in 1881 he was named as the first leader of the new Tuskegee Institute in Alabama . Washington attained national prominence for his Atlanta Address of 1895 , which attracted the attention of politicians and the public, making him a popular spokesperson for African-American citizens. He built a nationwide network of supporters in many black communities, with black ministers, educators and businessmen composing his core supporters. Washington played a dominant role in black politics, winning wide support in the black community and among more liberal whites (especially rich Northern whites). He gained access to top national leaders in politics, philanthropy and education. Washington's efforts included cooperating with white people and enlisting the support of wealthy philanthropists, helping to raise funds to establish and operate thousands of small community schools and institutions of higher education for the betterment of blacks throughout the South . This work continued for many years after his death. Washington argued that the surest way for blacks to gain equal social rights was to demonstrate "industry, thrift, intelligence and property." Northern critics called Washington's followers the "Tuskegee Machine". After 1909, Washington was criticized by the leaders of the new NAACP , especially W. E. B. Du Bois , who demanded a stronger tone of protest for advancement of civil rights needs. Washington replied that confrontation would lead to disaster for the outnumbered blacks, and that cooperation with supportive whites was the only way to overcome pervasive racism in the long run. At the same time, he secretly funded litigation for civil rights cases, such as challenges to southern constitutions and laws that disfranchised blacks. In addition to his contributions in education, Washington wrote 14 books; his autobiography, Up From Slav... read more

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