<P> The speech , presented before a predominantly white audience at the Cotton States and International Exposition ( the site of today 's Piedmont Park ) in Atlanta , Georgia , has been recognized as one of the most important and influential speeches in American history . The speech was preceded by the reading of a dedicatory ode written by Frank Lebby Stanton . </P>
<P> The speech , presented before a predominantly white audience at the Cotton States and International Exposition ( the site of today 's Piedmont Park ) in Atlanta , Georgia , has been recognized as one of the most important and influential speeches in American history . The speech was preceded by the reading of a dedicatory ode written by Frank Lebby Stanton . </P>
who is washington addressing in the atlanta exposition
who is washington addressing in the atlanta exposition
a predominantly white audience
a predominantly white audience