Miss Davidson, Washington’s second wife, is a teacher at the Tuskegee Institute. Washington admires her for her dedication to the school, as well as her dedication to hard work in her fundraising efforts. He credits Miss Davidson for the success of the school, and he even suggests that her death was brought about by her dedication to the Institute.
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Olivia A. Davidson Character Timeline in Up From Slavery
The timeline below shows where the character Olivia A. Davidson appears in Up From Slavery. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 8: Teaching School in a Stable and a Hen-House
...a month and a half, a new face appeared at the school. Miss Olivia A. Davidson, Washington’s future wife, showed up looking for work as an instructor. Davidson was born and...
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Davidson was educated at Hampton, and upon graduating Hampton she pursued further studies at a black...
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Washington and Davidson both agreed that hygiene, cleanliness, and industrial education should all be key aspects of the...
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The scope of such an education was overwhelming to Washington and Davidson. They only had a small shanty, fifty students, and two instructors, but they were growing...
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In the midst of Washington and Davidson’s anxiety, and about three months after the opening of the school, an old plantation went...
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While Washington was leading the students in the clearing of the land, Miss Davidson was planning on ways to repay the loan. She would hold festivals in which she...
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Chapter 9: Anxious Days and Sleepless Nights
With this new project Miss Davidson resumed her fundraising activities. The black citizens contributed all that they could, with one man...
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Washington deeply admired Davidson’s work ethic. She would fundraise for months and then return to the school as an...
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Chapter 10: A Harder Task Than Making Bricks Without Straw
In the summer of 1882, Washington and Davidson traveled North on a fundraising trip. Washington initially encountered resistance from an officer from a...
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Chapter 12: Raising Money
...they were serving, and they estimated that its construction would cost ten thousand dollars. Miss Davidson immediately resumed fundraising in the Tuskegee area with both the white and black citizens. The...
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Chapter 13: Two Thousand Miles for a Five-Minute Speech
In 1885, Washington married Olivia Davidson, whose hard work in fundraising and teaching was foundational in establishing the Institute. During their...
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