Finding A Way Out

From slave to successor to Booker T. Washington as head of the Tuskegee Institute is a personal story of an African-American and his struggles during the Ante-Bellum years.

Robert Russa Moton was born in Amelia County, Virginia, on August 26, 1867, and was raised in nearby Rice, Prince Edward County, Virginia. He was the grandson of an African chieftain who had grown wealthy by engaging in slave trading. Later this chief was himself sold into slavery, leading to the establishment of Moton's family in the Americas shortly thereafter.

In 1915, after the death of Booker T. Washington, Moton succeeded Washington as the second principal of the Tuskegee Institute. While supporting the work-study program, he emphasized education, integrating liberal arts into the curriculum, establishing bachelor of science degrees in agriculture and education. He improved courses of study, especially in teacher training, elevated the quality of the faculty and administration, constructed new facilities, and significantly increased the endowment by maintaining his connections to wealthy white benefactors in the North.