Two Thousand Miles for a Five-Minute Speech Summary and Analysis

Washington was once scheduled to speak in Boston but invited to speak in the South. He travels the two thousand miles, makes a five-minute speech to a group of influential people, the boards a train back to Boston. He says it was worth the effort because of the people he reached and the speaking engagements that came from that one event.

As Washington's speaking engagements increase, he is aware that he carries a great burden because many whites are waiting for him to misspeak. This is especially true when he's called upon to speak at the opening of the Atlanta Cotton states and International Exposition on September 18, 1895. Washington spends lots of time working on his speech, knowing that there are Northern whites, Southern whites and blacks in the audience...