1_03Letter
Student Name: Herby Jean-Louis
Directions: Replace the information in the brackets with your own. Be sure to write in complete sentences.

Dear Mr. President,
Civic and political participation is important so that decisions are not made by a few people. Participation by the masses insures greater freedom. Born a slave on a Virginia farm, Washington (1856-1915) rose to become one of the most influential African-American intellectuals of the late 19th century. In 1881, he founded the Tuskegee Institute, a black school in Alabama devoted to training teachers, Booker T. Washington. He convinced southern white employers and governors that Tuskegee offered an education that would keep blacks "down on the farm" and in the trades. To prospective northern donors and particularly the new self- made millionaires such as Rockefeller and Carnegie he promised the inculcation of the Protestant work ethic. Across the landscape of the most anguished era of American race relations (1895-1915) strode the self-assured and influential Booker T. Washington.
Booker T. Washington deserves a holiday because of all that he did for blacks. He sustained his power as an educational statesman by some ruthless and duplicitous methods. Rival black newspapers, educators, and thinkers were frequently intimidated by his brand of boss politics. Washington argued that the surest way for blacks to gain equal social rights was to demonstrate "industry, thrift, intelligence and property.” He helped us maintain equal rights which lasted till this day. Me and other blacks benefit from how he helped us with getting into schools, and getting a better education.

[paragraph 4… Conclusion – finish strong with a brief overview and last effort to convince the president to give this person a holiday]

Thank you,

Herby Jean-Louis

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