During the progressive era in the late 1800’s, white people were in control of society. The blacks had been freed under the Emancipation Proclamation, but were not being treated equal. Mainly because they were black. But that was not the only reason. Blacks were also not treated equally because they did not possess the intelligence and skills of whites. A great man decided to fight for equality between blacks and whites. His name was Booker Taliaferro Washington. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery on James Burrough’s Virginia Plantation in 1856. When he was 9 he was gathered with the other slaves and was told he could go freely due to the Emancipation