TUSKEGEE MACHINE

TUSKEGEE MACHINE A popular euphemism used by a number of early twentieth century black intellectuals, including Monroe Trotter and W. E. B. Du Bois, the Tuskegee Machine referred to the financial control exerted over black education and, in particular, over black newspapers and periodicals by Booker T. Washington. As a result of this media control, readers of black newspapers and magazines rarely encountered materials un­favorable to Washington's philosophy of accommodation. Du Bois, who originally coined the euphemism, described the Tus­kegee Machine in following terms: "Tuskegee became the cap­ital of the Negro nation. Negro newspapers were influenced and finally the oldest and largest was bought by white friends of Tuskegee. Most of the other papers found it to their advantage certainly not to oppose Mr. Washington, even if they did not wholly agree with him. Negroes who sought high positions groveled for his favor." See also: MONROE TROTTER and BOOKER T. WASHINGTON.