Lewis Adams
Encyclopedia
Lewis Adams was an African American
slave
in Macon County, Alabama
who is best remembered for his work in helping found the normal school
which grew to become Tuskegee University
in Tuskegee, Alabama
.
Little is known of his early life. It is known, however, that despite having no formal education, Adams could read, write and speak several languages. He was an experienced tinsmith
, harness-maker and shoemaker
. He was married to "Sallie" Sarah Adams with whom he had sixteen children. He was an acknowledged leader of the county's African-American community.
Adams was especially concerned that, without an education, the recently freed former slaves (and future generations) would not be able to fully support themselves. There were no institutions at that time to teach them essential skills.
In 1880, Adams was approached on behalf of two white candidates seeking election to the Alabama Senate
. He was asked what it would take to get the votes of the community's black citizens. Rather than requesting and/or accepting personal gifts, a common practice, he made a deal with the Democratic Party
in Montgomery
, promising to secure the African-American vote if funding would be provided for a normal school for African Americans at Tuskegee. His skillful political negotiation, leadership and visions for the future proved successful, and funding of US$2,000 annually for a "Negro Normal School in Tuskegee" was made available by the state legislature beginning in 1881. (Normal schools were so named because they taught future teachers educational standards or norms).
Another former slave, Booker T. Washington
, was recruited upon recommendation of Samuel C. Armstrong
, the founder and principal of another normal school for blacks in Hampton, Virginia
, to become the first principal. From a beginning in borrowed space in a local church on July 4, 1881, the school moved in 1882 to 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of plantation farmland, purchased with a $200 personal loan from the treasurer of Washington's former school (which eventually grew to become Hampton University
).
Like Lewis Adams, Dr. Washington embraced the concept that former slaves needed practical job skills to support themselves and their families. In addition to building Tuskegee, he became a famous orator and secured major funding from wealthy American philanthropist
s such as Andrew Carnegie
, Collis P. Huntington
, John D. Rockefeller
, and Henry Huttleston Rogers
. Despite his travels and widespread work, Dr. Washington remained principal of Tuskegee until his death in 1915, at the age of 59. At the time of his death, Tuskegee's endowment exceeded US$1.5 million.
Another famous African-American who taught at the school of Lewis Adams' dreams was Dr. George Washington Carver
.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
slave
History of slavery in the United States
Slavery in the United States was a form of slave labor which existed as a legal institution in North America for more than a century before the founding of the United States in 1776, and continued mostly in the South until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in...
in Macon County, Alabama
Macon County, Alabama
Macon County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Nathaniel Macon, a member of the United States Senate from North Carolina. Developed for cotton plantation agriculture in the nineteenth century, it is one of the counties in Alabama within the Black Belt of the South.As...
who is best remembered for his work in helping found the normal school
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
which grew to become Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University is a private, historically black university located in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
in Tuskegee, Alabama
Tuskegee, Alabama
Tuskegee is a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 11,846 and is designated a Micropolitan Statistical Area. Tuskegee has been an important site in various stages of African American history....
.
Little is known of his early life. It is known, however, that despite having no formal education, Adams could read, write and speak several languages. He was an experienced tinsmith
Tinsmith
A tinsmith, or tinner or tinker or tinplate worker, is a person who makes and repairs things made of light-coloured metal, particularly tinware...
, harness-maker and shoemaker
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
. He was married to "Sallie" Sarah Adams with whom he had sixteen children. He was an acknowledged leader of the county's African-American community.
Adams was especially concerned that, without an education, the recently freed former slaves (and future generations) would not be able to fully support themselves. There were no institutions at that time to teach them essential skills.
In 1880, Adams was approached on behalf of two white candidates seeking election to the Alabama Senate
Alabama Senate
The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal amount of districts across the state, with each district containing at least 127,140 citizens...
. He was asked what it would take to get the votes of the community's black citizens. Rather than requesting and/or accepting personal gifts, a common practice, he made a deal with the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, promising to secure the African-American vote if funding would be provided for a normal school for African Americans at Tuskegee. His skillful political negotiation, leadership and visions for the future proved successful, and funding of US$2,000 annually for a "Negro Normal School in Tuskegee" was made available by the state legislature beginning in 1881. (Normal schools were so named because they taught future teachers educational standards or norms).
Another former slave, Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington 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...
, was recruited upon recommendation of Samuel C. Armstrong
Samuel C. Armstrong
Samuel Chapman Armstrong was an American educator and a commissioned officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
, the founder and principal of another normal school for blacks in Hampton, Virginia
Hampton, Virginia
Hampton is an independent city that is not part of any county in Southeast Virginia. Its population is 137,436. As one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, it is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Located on the Hampton Roads Beltway, it hosts...
, to become the first principal. From a beginning in borrowed space in a local church on July 4, 1881, the school moved in 1882 to 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of plantation farmland, purchased with a $200 personal loan from the treasurer of Washington's former school (which eventually grew to become Hampton University
Hampton University
Hampton University is a historically black university located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It was founded by black and white leaders of the American Missionary Association after the American Civil War to provide education to freedmen.-History:...
).
Like Lewis Adams, Dr. Washington embraced the concept that former slaves needed practical job skills to support themselves and their families. In addition to building Tuskegee, he became a famous orator and secured major funding from wealthy American philanthropist
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
s such as Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
, Collis P. Huntington
Collis P. Huntington
Collis Potter Huntington was one of the Big Four of western railroading who built the Central Pacific Railroad as part of the first U.S. transcontinental railroad...
, John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
, and Henry Huttleston Rogers
Henry H. Rogers
Henry Huttleston Rogers was a United States capitalist, businessman, industrialist, financier, and philanthropist. He made his fortune in the oil refinery business, becoming a leader at Standard Oil....
. Despite his travels and widespread work, Dr. Washington remained principal of Tuskegee until his death in 1915, at the age of 59. At the time of his death, Tuskegee's endowment exceeded US$1.5 million.
Another famous African-American who taught at the school of Lewis Adams' dreams was Dr. George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver , was an American scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor. The exact day and year of his birth are unknown; he is believed to have been born into slavery in Missouri in January 1864....
.