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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Pittman, Portia Marshall Washington, 1883-1978 to Alice J. Cutright Kaine

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05508.255.01 Author/Creator: Pittman, Portia Marshall Washington, 1883-1978 Place Written: Tuskegee, Alabama Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 14 April 1940 Pagination: 4 p. : Height: 24 cm, Width: 16.4 cm Order a Copy

Washington writes to Kaine, a friend of her father's, about the ceremony issuing a commemorative stamp of her father, Booker T. Washington. Discusses the family members in attendance, and mentions that she "received the first sheet of stamps from Post Master General [James A.] Farley." She reminisces about his famous Atlanta Exposition speech, and how his success was due to prayer. She laments: "My people are not as grateful as yours - and many are trying to profit from my father's fame for selfish motives. This has hurt Tuskegee Institute." Written on Music Studio, Tuskegee Institute stationery.

Kaine, Alice J. Cutright, 1864-1947
Pittman, Portia Marshall Washington, 1883-1978
Washington, Booker T., 1856-1915
Farley, James Aloysius, 1888-1976

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