Up from Slavery: Aun Autobiography

Booker T. Washington

Jan 2001 · Citadel Press

About this ebook

Born a slave in Virginia in 1856, Booker T. Washington rose in prominence to become Black America's foremost spokesman. This is the dramatic autobiographical account of Washington's struggle to succeed and prosper in a country that refused to acknowledge his existence, and of how one man stood fast against the social and idealogical bias prevalent in his day. Historically acknowledged as one of America's most powerful and persuasive orators, Booker T. Washington consistently challenged the forces of racial prejudice at a time when such behavior from a Black man was unheard of. While he mollified White leaders by publicly agreeing with their racist views of social parity, he also worked tirelessly to convince Blacks to work together as one people in order to improve their lives and the future of their race. It tells the story of Washington's unique American experience -- a struggle that he began as a slave and never gave up. From his fight for education to his founding of the world-renowned Tuskegee Institute, Washington's Up From Slavery is one of the most significant and defining works in American literature.

About the author

Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) was born a slave on a Virginia farm. Later freed, he headed and developed the Tuskegee Institute and became a leader in education. Widely considered a spokesman for his people, he emphasized social concern in three books as well as his autobiography.