Up From Slavery: (Illustrated)

I give this book 4 stars because as great as a man I think Mr. Booker T. Washington is and was, I can't tell you how troubled I am about how he kissed Europeans rearends. I think that he is a tremendous man in terms of building (Tuskegee) and being unrelenting about how Afrikan people should be educated. But he used the word humble, modest, and loyal when it come to how Afrikan people's should look at the European in the south. That was disturbing.

the book gives you an outlook on slavery and how it was in those times. I find these books to be very interesting, just to give me a little more knowledge on my history and hope to learn something that i don't already know.

I think everyone should read this, especially children. He has a strong work ethic and positive attitude about life and relationships between races. I love learning about history. I really enjoyed reading this book and learning about post slavery life.

the book gives you an outlook on slavery and how it was in those times. I find these books to be very interesting, just to give me a little more knowledge on my history and hope to learn something that i don't already know.

I think everyone should read this, especially children. He has a strong work ethic and positive attitude about life and relationships between races. I love learning about history. I really enjoyed reading this book and learning about post slavery life.

Amazing that something written over 100 years ago still applies today. Here’s a man that could have chosen to live in negativity and ignorance but chose to rise above. Should be mandatory reading for ALL high school and college

I read this book with my 12 year old as part of a book club.I didn't know much about Booker T. Washington,and this book was very interesting.He was truly a remarkable man living in a time of extreme change for our country.I feel I now have a broader view of the post slavery South then I had,even growing up there.

Should be read by every high school student. Especially every black student. Mr. Washington was born a slave but raised himself up to national prominence by his devotion to helping others. He was driven by the desire to be the best at whatever he did. He turned down offers of more money to stay where he was and to continue the struggle to educate blacks recently freed from slavery. You need to read this book.

I just got my Kindle last month and I wanted to download something about the Dali Lama but it is not on Kindle... I saw this book and have been interested in Black Studies for many years and always wanted to read more about this fine gentleman... I loved this book.... Thank you.

Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington I found his philosophy right on target one that our present black leaders should pay attention to. If you want to be accepted get an education, work hard and become part of the solution positive action not talk produces respect. Good Read

Did you ever wonder where the right-wing meme came from that slaves were happy with slavery, that they loved their masters and even that blacks benefitted from slavery? If you had told me, prior to reading this book, that it came from a black man, a former slave at that, I would never have believed it. How wrong I would have been.

Washington opens his book alternating between his early memories as a slave in early childhood – horrific memories of overwork, deprivation, desperation and despair for one so young – and assuring us that he, like all former slaves, has never harbored a single ill thought of his former masters or any white man. Neglecting the historical records of widespread rebellions and escapes and the wholesale flight of former slaves to Union lines during the Civil War, Washington avows that the slaves, even once freed from slavery, remained devoted to their white masters and cared for them as they would their own kith and kin.

Further along in the book, we learn the struggles Washington went through to acquire his own education. How he traveled, on foot, with hardly a penny to his name, to the Hampton School, earning his way by the sweat of his brow and sleeping in barns and under sidewalks along the way. He was admitted to the school not on the strength of his mind, but on the strength of his cleaning skills (which he learned during his “opportunity” to work under a demanding mistress), and he continued cleaning the school to earn his continued right to exist at the school. His studies were secondary to his work, which Washington stresses is a noble pursuit, and he scorns those uppity Negroes who dared to think that after 200 years of stolen manual labor, perhaps they could put such labor behind them.

The Hampton School was an industrial school, preparing its former slave graduates to join society on the bottom rung in the trades. When he got the opportunity to open the Tuskegee Institute, Washington modeled it on his own experience of schooling, including the focus on the trades, the requirement that all students engage in manual labor, and the scorning of the life of the mind.

Washington is quick to assure us throughout the book that his students were grateful for the opportunity to join proper society and how much they appreciated being set straight on the proper habits of work, diligence, personal hygiene and humility (slaves apparently didn’t know much about work or humility, ahem). Likewise, he is eager to assure us of his (and all decent black people’s) fervent belief in the fundamental goodness of the white man. Once the Negro has proven himself in the lower ranks of society, whites will not be able to help promoting him to the rank which he will earn (or not) by the quality and diligence of his own humble work. Once Negros have proven themselves worthy and capable, whites will be sure to grant them equal rights such as voting and holding elected office. In the meantime, it is very forward and arrogant of some Negroes to be pushing for such unearned privileges. Ahem.

Washington would have us convinced that never did a white man (or woman) ever fail to help him to the maximum of his or her ability when asked (even as he tells us of days and weeks of despair as Tuskegee’s bills came due and no money came in, and the long wearying days of going door-to-door without success).

From start to finish, the book reeks of obsequiousness and pandering to the prejudices of the dominant culture while exploiting the vulnerability of the newly freed slaves. If Washington is ever aware that he is being used and exploited by a white population eager to assuage their guilt yet simultaneously keep the blacks in their place, he never shows it. Never a bitter word or reproach for the white man slips from his pen – his harsh words are reserved for those of his own race who are insufficiently diligent and grateful.

What, then, are we to make of this? Did Washington suffer from a form of “Stockholm Syndrome” so to speak? Did he truly internalize, lock, stock and barrel, the beliefs and viewpoints of the dominant white society? Or did he simply know where his bread was buttered, that Tuskegee’s survival – and his own – depended on the white man’s approval – and his money?

This is (so far) the only work I have read by Booker T. Washington, so I am not really I a position to answer that questions. Perhaps his more personal writings – letters, diaries if he kept any – might reveal more of his inner motivations. But given the white man’s world he had to navigate for his own and Tuskegee’s survival, it is doubtful if he could have endured the cognitive dissonance of full awareness of his position and his role in keeping blacks submissive in the dominant white culture.

Which is not to say that Washington was not, in his own way, a noble figure. Starting from nearly nothing, he suffered much and succeeded in building a school that did give a number of newly freed slaves the opportunity to obtain more education than they otherwise would have had access to and the ability to earn a living to support themselves and their families, which did provide some route out of dire poverty for those lucky enough to be able to take advantage. But he also helped to perpetuate the myth that the only thing standing between a black man and success is his own dedication, motivation and ambition – if a black man fails to succeed, it is because he did not work hard enough and properly apply himself.

The “race riot” of the “Black Wall Street” in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the coup d’état in Wilmington, North Carolina (among many other such incidents) testifies to the fallacy of “respectability politics”. No matter how well educated, “respectable” or affluent blacks become, they are always at the mercy of the white man’s dominance. This book must be read in conversation with the work of W.E.B. DuBois who accurately saw and understood blacks’ situation – a black man’s mere presence, not his behavior or attitude, is the problem. After keeping blacks in slavery for hundreds of years, what are whites to do with these newly “freedmen” that does not threaten their own position as the dominant culture, especially when the economic value of their enslaved labor has already been lost? It is important to understand that blacks’ situation has been determined much less by their own actions than by their standing within a nation built on white supremacy and the theft of black humanity.

This was a very interesting book written by Mr. Washington. I found it fascinating to read the history of the Tuskegee Institute. The concept of t he Work study program seems like a wonderful idea to be tried in today's educational learning programs.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book. I would highly recommend not doing that. I found the narrator's voice to somehow seem both pompous and monotonous at the same time. There was very little in the way of inflection that didn't come off as braggadocios, and that made it seem like that was Booker T. Washington's tone as well, but that didn't match up with the message being conveyed most of the time. Basically the narrator's tone made me feel like Booker was just a braggart, and I don't think he meant to be.

Beyond the narrator's tone, I had other problems with this book (although those problems may have been exacerbated by the narrator's tone). I already said that I don't think Booker was trying to be a braggart, but he came off that way at times. He mentions a few times where he receives loans from white people he personally knows from their personal accounts because of their perception of his moral character, and it just embarrassed him that they had such faith in him (so humble bragging before it was cool.) These were loans for improvements to the school he was running in Tuskegee, so the money was clearly for a worthy cause, and I don't know why it came off so much as bragging to me.

In addition to that, the book was a lot of "I did this...I did that...I went here" so just a whole lot of telling and not showing. I kept trying to remind myself that Booker T. Washington really did accomplish huge things for a person of his background at the time he lived, and that storytelling back in the late 1800s and early 1900s was different than it is today, but it still just didn't sit well with me. The monotonous tone of the narrator didn't help.

This book did get me thinking about what it would take for a southern black man to get a memoir published so soon after slavery, and sadly, I think it would take a man who would say things like "Us slaves were better off at the end of slavery than our former masters" and "The KKK was a short lived blight on southern society that is no longer around today." (Those are paraphrased quotes because I listened to the book, so I do not have highlights to go back to for quoting purposes.) It would take a man willing to say that he had just as many opportunities to make something of himself as a white man even when his experiences show that that really wasn't actually the case. Although that also makes his achievements all the more remarkable.

Overall I give Up From Slavery 3 out of 5 stars, and would highly recommend that everyone read it even though my own experience with the book was less than positive. It has great historical significance if nothing else, and I will probably return to re-read it at some point (actually reading it myself, not listening to the audiobook.)

I am not sure if this is required reading but I was a little disappointed. I expect an autobiography to be just that but this is a series of interviews poorly but together to reflex such an autobiography. It is great to learn how he successful overcame many obstacles in his life but the book is filled with too many speeches and many names which will have no relevance to us now. I am shocked at the way he portrayed our people as if we had to beg for each and everything and yet be at the mercy of the white man. I understand that he worked hard to keep a good relationship with both races; however, he was shun by many black intellectuals. Most of the rhetoric here is so out of date and not relevant. Thank God, this was a short read.
Leslie Taylor

I am not sure if this is required reading but I was a little disappointed. I expect an autobiography to be just that but this is a series of interviews poorly but together to reflex such an autobiography. It is great to learn how he successful overcame many obstacles in his life but the book is filled with too many speeches and many names which will have no relevance to us now. I am shocked at the way he portrayed our people as if we had to beg for each and everything and yet be at the mercy of the white man. I understand that he worked hard to keep a good relationship with both races; however, he was shun by many black intellectuals. Most of the rhetoric here is so out of date and not relevant. Thank God, this was a short read.
Leslie Taylor

Many of the coloured folk of today need to read this book and maybe hear him address an audience. They are holding themselves back. I found this book very inspiring and plan to treat people as they would like to be treated.

By Darrell Stoddard, [email protected]

Every boy and girl, white or black, inner city or outer city, rich or poor should read or have "Up From Slavery" read to them because our society and our young people are growing up with no moral compass. As such, we are all still slaves to an ideology that tells us man cannot lift himself up, improve the world, or survive from his own labor.

Washington was born a slave and developed a burning desire to learn to read and write after peering in the window of a school for white children. How he envied the children who had this blessing; a blessing that was not available to him as a slave. Young Booker thought that going to school and learning to read was as close to heaven as a man could get. He walked 500 miles sleeping on the ground and under porches to go to college. His entrance exam was cleaning the reception room. Something is terribly wrong in education today. We now have laws of compulsory education; forcing every child to go to school.

Washington told black people to "Put down your bucket where you are." (alluding to the classic story of ship that had run out of water to drink. When thy came upon another ship and asked for water, they were told "put down your bucket where you are; because they were out in the ocean from the mouth of the the store river that is so mighty it's fresh water flows far out into the ocean beyond where land can be seen. Good advice for anyone; no matter how perilous life may seem.

Booker T. Washington,and George Washington Carver (and Martin Luther King Jr. of late) are my black heroes because they gave me a moral compass and taught me what I could become by reading good books and using my intelligence to create a better life and a better world. When I visited the cabin where Booker T. Washington was born, I felt like getting down on my knees or taking off my shoes for I stood on holy ground. You can read a short Biography of Washington with all of his marvelous accomplishments by going on the internet to:

[...]

Tell me who your hero's are and I'll not only tell you who you are but what you may become. "All that we love deeply becomes a part of us" - Helen Keller (another hero that can give us a moral compass)

I think it would be good idea to require people who are on welfare to read to their own children and to neighbor children "Up from Slavery," and books about George Washington Carver and Helen Keller to pay for their food stamps.

See all of my Reviews. I write only about books, events, or motion pictures that have changed the course of history or unforgettable books or motion pictures that will totally change peoples lives.

Darrell Stoddard, Founder - Pain Research Institute and saveusa.biz

The book is old and the man is from his time. We are attracted to him because Marcus Garvey made him his star, though he could never meet him. He might have been surprised if Booker T. Washington had explained some of his ideas that would have made Marcus Garvey go awry due to his own convictions.

A TESTIMONY OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19th CENTURY

This book is first of all a testimony about the period starting in something like 1855 and ending in 2001. It covers the last five or six years of slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction and then the beginning of segregation accompanied by Jim-Crowism, the Ku Klux Klan, systematic lynchings and the first racial riots mostly caused by the decision of Southern whites to disfranchise the Blacks, i.e. cross them off the voting lists, making them citizens without the right to vote. This period is fascinating since it is the transition from open slavery to vicious domination and systematic segregation, a situation that was called apartheid in South Africa one century or so later. The motto of this white domination is simple: "Equal but separate" which will be deemed in the 1950s by the US Supreme Court as separate for sure and therefore unequal.

Booker T. Washington was born from a black mother and a white man whose identity he does not know, except that he was from another plantation than his mother's. In other words she was purely raped by some white man who happened to come across her one day. Maybe even more than one man. Booker T. Washington's account of this fact is extremely tactful if not "prudent":

"Of my father I know even less than of my mother. I do not even know his name. I have heard reports to the effect that he was a white man who lived on one of the near-by plantations. Whoever he was, I never heard of his taking the least interest in me or providing in any way for my rearing. But I do not find especial fault with him. He was simply another unfortunate victim of the institution which the Nation happily had engrafted upon it at that time." (p. 12)

Though the final clause is not clear (what is the final "it"?) the least we can say is that the rape is not identified as such, the rapist is shown as a victim, and though that rapist does nothing to help raise the kid after the end of slavery Booker T. Washington seems to imply that this rapist should and would have maybe eventually taken some interest. This rapist was obviously unwilling and he might even not be aware of the child being his child, or even of the very existence of the child. But this gives the tone of the book. Slavery is in a way just erased in any harsh unredeemable detail. It sure speaks of poverty, the obligation to work as soon as one was able to stand, the lack of food and other everyday amenities like clothing and hygiene.

"One may get the idea, from what I have said, that there was bitter feeling toward the white people on the part of my race. . . In the case of the slaves on our place this was not true, and it was not true of any large portion of the slave population in the South where the N**** was treated with anything like decency." (page 17)

During the Civil War he insists on the faithfulness of the slaves who could be entrusted with all kinds of missions like hiding and keeping safe the silver and other valuables of the "big house" of the slave owners, their masters. He is conscious that what he says is recklessly untrue but we never know if it is irony, sarcasm even, or simply the desire not to displease the whites.

"Most of the verses of the plantation songs had some reference to freedom. True, they had sung those same verses before, but they had been careful to explain that the "freedom" in these songs referred to the next world, and had no connection with life in this world. Now they gradually threw off the mask, and were not afraid to let it be known that the "freedom" in their songs meant freedom of the body in this world." (page 22)

We really find it hard to believe the slave owners and their repressive personnel were that gullible to even ask or accept an explanation. They have been vastly depicted since then, and even had been at the time, as whipping first and asking questions afterwards and whipping again if the answers displeased them. The conclusion then is absolutely unrealistic about the state of mind of the blacks after the Civil War:

". . . there was no feeling of bitterness. In fact, there was pity among the slaves for our former owners." (page 22)

All that leads to the remark that the ex-slaves were disoriented and accepted any kind of contract to stay on the plantations:

"Besides, deep down in their hearts there was a strange and peculiar attachment to "old Marster" and "old Missus," and to their children, which they found it hard to think of breaking off. With these they had spent in some cases nearly a half-century, and it was no light thing to think of parting. Gradually, one by one, stealthily at first, the older slaves began to wander from the slave quarters back to the "big house" to have a whispered conversation, with their former owners as to the future." (page 23) ". . . many of the older slaves, especially, returned to their old homes and made some kind of contract with their former owners by which they remained on the estate." (page 24)

This is the proof that what we call today the Post Traumatic Slavery Syndrome has been and still is a tremendously deep and powerful mental and psychological alienation and dependence. We are sure Booker T. Washington was aware of this and was only being polite and diplomatic, though it reveals a high level of Jim-Crowism in his attitude. His real consciousness appears here and there with some remark that may be captured as humorous, but a very dark and black type of humor indeed:

"[one colored man] said that he had been born in Virginia, and sold into Alabama in 1845. I asked him how many were sold at the same time. He said, `There were five of us; myself and brother and three mules.'" (page 76)

This corresponds to what we know today: slaves were classified at the same level as mules, that is to say under horses and over cattle. But it is definitely not black humor when he denies the existence of the Ku Klux Klan.

"It was while my home was at Malden [after the Civil War up to 1978] that what was known as the "Ku Klux Klan" was in the height of its activity. . . They corresponded somewhat to the "patrollers" of whom I used to hear a great deal during the days of slavery when I was a small boy. . . Like the "patrollers" the "Ku Klux" operated almost wholly at night. They were however more cruel than the "patrollers." . . . The "Ku Klux" period was, I think, the darkest part of the Reconstruction days. . . To-day [1901] there are no such organizations in the South, and the fact that such ever existed is almost forgotten by both races. There are few places in the South where public sentiment would permit such organizations to exist." (pages 54-55)

It is always indirectly that he alludes to the real reality of this time. When he tries in 1998 to contact President McKinley he does speak of "several race riots which had occurred at different points in the South." (page 183) The worst one was in Wilmington, North Carolina, where the whites burnt down to the ground the black newspaper, the Daily Record, causing a riot that lasted a week and cost at least fourteen black lives, the banishment of all black leaders and the disfranchisement of black previously registered electors.

It is important to understand this position in order to ask the proper question: how could this ex-slave, the son of a woman who was raped by an unidentified white man come to such a submissive, conciliatory position? Is he betraying his people or does he have another agenda? That's the question I would like to answer.

BOOKER T. WASHINGTON AND EDUCATION

His ideal is pedagogical. He built from scratch a school for black students of any age and sex. It was managed by blacks, devised for blacks and constructed by blacks themselves though with a lot of support and contributions from the Alabama State Legislature, the John Slater Fund and the Peabody Fund on a regular basis, and many big contributors from the North as well as many small or smaller ones from the South. His objective is to educate his pupils in their hands, their heads and their hearts. The students have to learn the value of physical work and they have to cultivate the fields of the school for food, work all the services of everyday life (laundry, cleaning up, cooking, etc.), on one hand, and/or work in the various industries of the school (brick making, joining and carpentering, masonry and construction, etc.) in order to build the various buildings of the school or produce amenities like bricks that can be sold on the local market or beyond. The idea is that the students have to work in order to get a salary (and all work for the school gets wages) and thus be able to pay for their boarding and other expenses including tuition. They then learn a useful trade and they cover the expenses of their studies.

"In our industrial teaching we keep three things in mind:
* first, that the student shall be so educated that he shall be enabled to meet conditions as they exist now, in the part of the South where he lives--in a word, to be able to do the thing which the world wants done;
* second, that every student who graduates from the school shall have enough skill, coupled with intelligence and moral character, to enable him to make a living for himself and others;
* third, to send every graduate out feeling and knowing that labor is dignified and beautiful--to make each one love labor instead of trying to escape it.
In addition to the agricultural training which we give to young men, and the training given to our girls in all the usual domestic employments, we now train a number of girls in agriculture each year. These girls are taught gardening, fruit-growing, dairying, bee-culture, and poultry-raising." (page 188, bullets are mine for emphasis)

Thus the students have to learn how to be flexible and adaptable to concrete real circumstances. Then they have to demonstrate various skills, intelligence, moral character and economic independence. Finally they have to accept work is beautiful and never under the dignity of any human being. The only remark we can do today is that women were trained as seamstresses, cooks, and other supposedly female trades and as for agriculture the menial or easier, less physical jobs like poultry-raising. But at the time this sexism was quite progressive since it enabled women to have a trade of their own and not be dependent on their husbands, and/or to contribute to the family economy.

BOOKER T. WASHINGTON'S MERITOCRACY

That's where we meet with his meritocracy. He expresses it over and over again in this book.

"My experience is that there is something in human nature which always makes an individual recognize and reward merit, no matter under what color of skin merit is found." (page 97) "Any man, regardless of color, with be recognized and rewarded just in proportion as he learns to do something well - learns to do it better than someone else - however humble the thing may be." (page 169) "No man who continues to add something to the material, intellectual, and moral well-being of the place in which he lives is long left without proper reward. This is a great human law which cannot be permanently nullified." (page 170)

The last quotation implies that reward can be refused, at least for some time. Page 34 he specifies that retention with the phrase "in the long run." The least we can say is that the long run was very long and is still running in some instances for the blacks in the USA.

But he seems to approve of this delay in rewarding an effort. It is in fact slightly more complex and the limitation of his thinking is clear when he speaks of the ballot and basic civil rights.

"During the next half-century and more, my race must continue passing through the severe American crucible. We are to be tested
* in our patience,
* our forbearance,
* our perseverance,
* our power
 to endure wrong,
 to withstand temptations,
 to economize,
 to acquire and use skill;
* in our ability
 to compete,
 to succeed in commerce,
 to disregard
o the superficial for the real,
o the appearance for the substance,
 to be
o great and yet small,
o learned and yet simple,
o high and yet the servant of all." (pages 180-181, my laying out for emphasis)

The least we can say is that the blacks, his "race," will have to satisfy many conditions concerning plain civil rights and the tests are numerous on this crucible. And that is only valid for the blacks. And his assertion of his belief in universal and free suffrage is vastly cooled down by all the conditions to fulfill and all the protections to set up.

"My own belief is . . . that the time will come when the N**** in the South will be accorded all the political rights which his ability, character, and material possessions entitle him to. I think, though, that the opportunity to freely exercise such political rights will not come in any large degree through outside or artificial forcing, but will be accorded to the N**** by the Southern white people themselves, and that they will protect him in the exercise of those rights. Just as soon as the South gets over the old feeling that it is being forced by "foreigners," or "aliens," to do something which it does not want to do, I believe that the change in the direction that I have indicated is going to begin. In fact, there are indications that it is already beginning in a slight degree. (page 142-143) "In my opinion, the time will come when the South will encourage all of its citizens to vote. It will see that it pays better, from every standpoint, to have healthy, vigorous life than to have that political stagnation which always results when one-half of the population has no share and no interest in the Government. . . As a rule, I believe in universal, free suffrage, but I believe that in the South we are confronted with peculiar conditions that justify the protection of the ballot in many of the states, for a while at least, either by an education test, a property test, or by both combined; but whatever tests are required, they should be made to apply with equal and exact justice to both races." (page 144)

This reveals how dominated, alienated Booker T. Washington was by his slavery heritage. He is typically trying to cope with his Post Traumatic Slavery Syndrome by trying to find a common terrain with the dominant whites, an historical compromise that would enable him to succeed in this life and yet do something useful to the blacks in this society without exposing the slavery of the past and its heritage today, not to speak of the Post Traumatic Slavery Syndrome itself that he could of course not know at all.

DECULTURALIZATION

The last point I would like to make here is going to confirm what I have just said. In Hampton, the school he got his education from, he was entrusted, after a couple years of teaching in his home town, with taking care of a group of Indians that had been brought to the Institute to be educated. He believes it is possible but in fact he follows a strategy that brings their deculturalization to a final point and he only aims at acculturating them into English and the proper American behavior.

"Few people then had any confidence in the ability of the Indians to receive education and to profit by it." (page 65) "Whenever they were asked to do so, the N**** students gladly took the Indians as room-mates, in order that they might teach them to speak English and to acquire civilized habits." (page 66)

That is exactly what is missing in his vision of the Blacks, not as a "race," a term that should be rejected, but as a cultured community, a community that shares a heritage. The black students have to learn how to integrate themselves into the American society by integrating the American culture into themselves. In his approach of the blacks there is no mention whatsoever of their African heritage. The music that is so important for these black people, the polyrhythmic African heritage in music that is unique to African music, is not exploited, not considered at all. Music is vaguely mentioned, on the sly and marginally, two or three times. All other aspects of African heritage that the slaves had retained in spite of all are not considered. And that was the only set of means that saved them in the total depersonalization and deculturalization slavery submitted them to in line with what Willie Lynch told the very first English settlers at the beginning of the 18th century, hardly one century after the arrival of the first English settlers in Virginia (1607) and the first black slaves in that colony (1619).

The specific linguistic production of these black people is at most used here and there as a sign of their lack of education. No sports are mentioned for these young men and young women, no sports whatsoever, which is surprising since sport is important in the maturation process of a young person, but also because those physical strength, stamina and resistance that enabled these Africans to survive slavery were also an African heritage: long distance running for example was part of their dozens of millennia of anthropological growth and development. That was in fact deeply embedded in their genes and body architecture. These black people are reduced to two periods. Before, and it means slavery and only one at most two generations (Booker T. Washington did not know his grandmother), and then now, and it means the American reality in which the blacks are supposed to blend themselves, become invisible, which is impossible anyway, but that is the objective.

". . . The whole future of the N**** rested largely upon the question as to whether or not he should make himself, through his skill, intelligence, and character, of such undeniable value to the community in which he lived that the community could not dispense with his presence. I said that any individual who learned to do something better than anybody else--learned to do a common thing in an uncommon manner--had solved his problem, regardless of the color of his skin, and that in proportion as the N**** learned to produce what other people wanted and must have, in the same proportion would he be respected." (page 124)

To become indispensible so that people will neither consider nor see your color.

CONCLUSION

To conclude we have to say this pedagogical approach is essential from a general point of view. It is an extremely modern idea to balance practical crafts and theoretical learning. The only thing that is missing in this approach is the interest or interests of the students which is or are the main incentive for their motivation. This modern approach of education was identical to the approach Makarenko was to develop in the USSR after World War I for all the young drifters that had to be educated out of drifting and into social life. In our modern educational system in western countries, we are still very far from understanding this necessary balance between kinesthetic, aesthetic, artistic, theoretical and physical activities, all rooting themselves in the students' interests.

As such Booker T. Washington is essential. But it is the very lack of the students' interests as the starting point of the educational process that leads him to neglecting the African heritage that is just natural for them though it should be worked on in depth. That would also mean to process the past and this heritage to go as far back as possible to give some historical perspective coming from far behind in the past. In other words he is a precursor (and follower) of the good old western educational system that considers we need to have a syllabus first and then the students are supposed to assimilate that syllabus. If you start from their interests and their heritage, you have to target this central domain and open it onto subjects and topics that the students did not know existed or in which they were not interested. In many western countries they develop a playful pedagogy based on the pleasure of games or whatever other tricks that are just funny and pleasant. This is also a way to avoid asking the central question: what are the interests and heritage of each particular student. To please is not necessarily to widen the mind and interest of a student. In fact it is working essentially on what the student already likes and finds funny or pleasant. It is deeply uncreative.

Booker T. Washington did not make that mistake but he remained very western-centered when he put down his syllabus or syllabi and the students had to follow them, though he knew that to make the student learn and practice crafts they had to be motivated by the gain they got out of it, their financial interest. But this interest is slightly drifting away from the interest or interests I was speaking of before and they can or have to be in the plural for each particular student who necessarily has more than one interest in life.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Booker T. Washington: once a slave, beat down and told he could do nothing, accomplish nothing; now an example to all men, white and colored, raised above others. Why? Hard work and a desire to do good in this world. He accomplished more than a lot, from getting into a school by sweeping and cleaning a room, to teaching at a night school, to starting Tuskegee, to speaking at huge events at which no black man had ever spoken. He met great men, did great things, built a great community, and loved greatly.

He wrote this autobiography about his truly great life. He wrote it simply, giving facts in a very interesting way (one thing that he felt was important while giving speeches). I had a hard time staying interested because I was very busy while reading it and felt like I had to rush to get it done. However, I liked it enough to know that I'll read it again in a less-busy time and really immerse myself in it. There's so much to learn, so much to discover in a life like Washington's. While reading it I couldn't help but be thankful for everything in my life. I was born with many luxuries given to me. Booker T. Washington started out with the clothes on his back and a dirt floor to sleep on. Education was a piece of paradise to him; food was a luxury beyond all comparison. I have always had both of those, in abundance.

One word to describe this book would be thankful. Not the word I would normally use to describe a book, but really, it is. Booker T. Washington's thanks resonates throughout the whole story. Even when he was hungry and on the streets - I could almost taste his thanks whenever he'd receive a meal or a warm place to stay.

Wonderful. Recommended to all who love a good autobiography, and even to those who don't.

My dear Lord, what a man! If only everyone would read this book, we could move beyond being to stupid that we allow race any place in politics. We all know the truth, but we allow the left to create unnecessary race problems. Just to get a balance view of the times, I also bought a Debois book, which would more closely align to the left...always looking for, and creating untrue problems (then when the truth finally bubbles to the surface, they look horrible, but its just too late). What an exciting life. I just ordered another 3 copies for my students. The truth is always strong! Thanks so much BTW! Agape, Dave (in Colorado)

Booker T. Washington was born in slavery, and he describes the first seven years of his life as a slave in enough detail to raise the hairs on your neck. Suddenly emancipated after the Civil War, his life saw no improvement until he finally made his way, broke at times, to the Hampton Institute -- which changed his life.

Others have mentioned his work ethic. He had one of the strongest work ethics ever seen in a human being. He graduated from Hampton with flying colors, and was subsequently chosen to found the Tuskegee Institute. On Day One, that amounted to a shanty next to a church. (!)

Washington's message, repeated over and over, was "learn a useful trade." As he correctly reasoned, human nature being what it is, if you are the best blacksmith, brick maker, or furniture maker in your community, your community is going to respect you and want to keep you.

In the year 2012, this advice strikes me as eerily prescient. Certainly it's excellent advice for the American underclass, but suddenly -- with the explosive bubble in college charges -- it's beginning to make sense to a lot of Americans, whether they be black, white, or magenta. Which is the better path? Skip college and qualify as a first-rate plumber, electrician, carpenter etc. -- or go to college and wind up unemployed with $100,000 in student debt?

There's a lot more in this book! It's an excellent portrait of America in the late 19th century, and it will surprise you at many turns.

Booker T. Washington was a man born into a slave family. He was the product of an African slave and a white man.

After having been freed from his overseers, he talks about working in a salt and coal mine to support his brothers and sisters in West Virginia. He then decided to try for a college education at the Hampton Institute. He graduated and then led efforts to build a similar institute in Tuskegee, Alabama.

His efforts to start an black educational school in the deep South during the height of the terror campaign must have been quite an effort. He obviously faced many racial and financial challenges when he started this school. His efforts were successful, as he established his school, became a successor to Frederick Douglas, and became someone who Presidents talked to.

Although Booker Washington faced many racial challenges from both the white establishment and criticism for subservient behavior to the establishment, he managed to change the lot of blacks in the Deep South. He instilled a spirit of service to labor and education which improved the lot of people in the south. For this he should be commended and praised. He was an American hero.

I read this some time ago, combined with The Souls of Black Folk and The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Up From Slavery was the warm-up, I guess, since it was the least offensive. Of course one reader's "least offensive" is another reader's "Uncle Tom". However one can't fairly judge someone from that era using the criteria from the modern time- a fairly simple principle that is too easily forgotten.

With that out of the way, let me say that as a southern kid in the late 60's reading this book I was tremendously inspired. We were hardly that far removed from Jim Crow, at least in years, so I think I was able to grasp a little of the obstacles Washington overcame. Still this is less a story of race than a story of faith, of vision, of the triumph of hard work, and the triumphs both in spite of as well as because of his fellow man.

The history in not too debatable, as it is an auto-biography. By definition thus the history of the author, and this becomes one of the strengths of the books- the common sense, no-nonsense love of life that
causes BTW to continually break through to the other side, and bring the reader with him. By the end of the book I wanted to start a college (as he did) and help my fellow man up from poverty any way I could. To not marvel at his accomplishments and to denigrate him with labels out of time is to do great injustice to the man, his relationship with God, and to his incredible achievements.

To sum: it is inspiring and real, and it gives a glimpse into some of the peculiar hardships resulting from the peculiar institution, but the process is almost the polar opposite of the victimhood route of today- from someone who could most justifiably have claimed himself such a victim.

...Up From Slavery Booker T. Washington
Up From Slavery is an autobiography by Booker Taliaferro Washington. Booker T. Washington was a great man who fought his way out of slavery to become an educator, statesman, and political power. He was born near a crossroads post-office called Hale's Ford, in the year 1858 or 1859. He does not remember the exact year, month or date because it was the time of slavery. He lived in a cabin with his mother, his older brother John and his sister Amanda until after the Civil War when they all were declared free. He does not know any of his history beyond his mother, and less beyond his father. For most of his boyhood life he lived in an old broken down cabin containing no windows and no beds. Almost everyday of his life was occupied by some kind of labor. He had no time for himself or sports. On several occasions he went as far as the schoolhouse door with one of the young mistresses to carry her books. The picture of several dozen boys and girls in a classroom engaged in study had always made a big impression on him. He felt that to get into a schoolhouse and study in the way they did would be about the same as being in paradise. After the slaves were freed there were two points that the blacks throughout the south agreed on: That they must change their names and they must leave the old plantation for at least a few days or weeks to feel sure that they were free. After freedom was declared Booker's stepfather sent for his mother and the whole family to come to the Kanawha Valley, in West Virginia. Booker always had an intense longing to learn to read. When he was young he determined that if he accomplished nothing else in life, he would some way get enough education to enable him to read common books and newspapers. He worked in a coal mine to help pay for his education. He overheard a few people talking about Hampton University it struck his interest. He set many of his goals to go there and get a good education. One teacher that influenced Booker T. Washington was Mrs. Ruffner. She encouraged and sympathized with him in all of his efforts to get an education. While working for her he was allowed one hour a day to go to school. While living with her he began to get his first library together. In 1872 he set out to Hampton Institute a school in West Virginia, he didn't know how much it would cost or where it was. His brother helped him out with the money. When he left his mother was very weak and broken in health he hardly expected to see her again, so parting with her was very hard for him. He had to sleep on the streets because the white would not let him stay in the hotel. He had many interactions like this one. He began working for a captain in a seaport unloading crates. Booker gained his entrance to Hampton Institute by cleaning a room for Miss Mary Mackie, the lady principal. Mr S. Griffths Morgan of New Medford, Mass. from 1872-1876 donated his tuition scholarship. Booker graduated from Hampton Institute in 1875. Booker returned to Hampton Institute and started the night school to aid deserving students. In conclusion this book Up From Slavery is a very well written book. It has many details on the life of Booker T. Washington. I recommend it to young kids who enjoy reading about history and how the slaves were freed.

i wanted to read a book written by someone who lived as an american "slave" as well as thru the period of "reconstruction" that WAS america in the late 19th century; i hoped to hear a first hand account of slavery from a person who survived it. i wanted to understand the struggles and joys of a person who lived as a newly emancipated citizen. booker t washington is one such person who was freed from bondage.

what i loved about this book:

*first hand account of the affects of slavery such as: naming himself, not knowing his own birthday and age, no ties to family, no knowledge of lineage of either of his parents, etc.
*THE TRUTH about why he is lauded as one of america's greatest "african americans"
*the early struggles of tuskegee as a university

what i loved less about this book:

* references to ppl, places, organizations, etc. lost to history. google helped, but dang :(
* incessant listing of accomplishments - including how well received booker was by white media and white america - rather than discussion of his relationships with his 3 wives and 3 children

altho this book was written by booker t washington about his own life, i didnt feel as if his autobiography allowed me to learn much about him as a man... as a person.

i am glad it was written as it gives context for an era and a person i can never know about, but this book is more about the chronography of booker t washington's accomplishments rather than who this man was and how he lived.

that being said, i still think every american should read this book!

Booker T. Washington had every reason to complain and be resentful. He was born a slave, and although national manumission occurred while he was still a boy, very few opportunities offered themselves to the newly emancipated. He fought against the odds to get an education and while he was away at school, his beloved mother died. His biological father was a slave owner who never expressed any interest in his son's life. When he was asked to be headmaster of the Tuskegee Institute, he found himself faced with empty land in a poverty-stricken area. Married three times, his first two wives died very young. His first spouse left him a single father with a young child, and the second time he faced widowhood he had three small children to raise all by himself.
He could certainly have cursed fate and just given up; in stead his autobiography is the work of an unspeakably grateful and patriotic American. Washington could not find enough good things to say about nearly everyone he encountered in life or the country he felt blessed to call his home. He worked very, very hard and success followed all his endeavors. Rather than boast of his many accomplishments, he seemed to feel unworthy of the nationwide respect he earned. He humbly described his friendships with Presidents Grover Cleveland and William McKinley, talked of his constantly sought after speeches throughout the United States and Europe, and detailed his phenomenal money-raising skills that brought the Tuskegee Institute up from a converted hen-house to a campus of over 40 buildings.
Throughout all his trials and successes, he constantly advocated forgiveness, humility, and gratitude. Not only did he recommend these three virtues, he lived a life that embodied them. Perhaps that's why a person born with no realistic chance at getting ahead, died one of the most admired and well-known individuals of his day.

Booker Washington rose to fame as a great American because of his intense understanding of the American system of government and his ability to stay focused. Booker obviously understood the impact of slavery on his race and that freedom alone was not enough in a country that did not respect that freedom. Booker's ideology coincided with that of Frederick Douglas who would have made the speech at the Atlanta Exposition, but he died earlier that year.Booker's speech was "nationalistic" as he told his listeners to be as seperate as the fingers on the hand and to cast down your buckets where you are. It appears to me that he prefered separation, and individualized education geared towards economic empowerment of the newly freed "negroes". 90% of all the black people in this country had been slaves and lived below the Mason-Dixon Line. The other 10% were free, yet not free. Tuskegee (Institute) University attests to his abilites as a monument builder. "Up From Slavery" is a story within a story. Booker T. Washinton, according to Louis Harlan was a "wizard". Even W.E.B. Dubois in his latter years, prior to joining the Communist Party began to agree with many of Washington's philosophies. Booker T. Washington was a politican and a technicrat. He got the job done.

This book provides a snapshot of the world of the US at one of it's most exciting times. The end of the 19th century was the "Progressive Era" when people came together and formed groups and associations that are still with us today. His metaphor of dipping into the cool clear water in which we are sailing for the human resources to build society is as true today as in 1890. His statement that the most pressing problem in America was for rich and poor to understand how each contributes to the whole and to learn to value each other is also timely.
Besides the fascinating historical perspective of the thinking of the time, there is the insight provided by Booker T. Washington himself. His adulation of labor is reminisint of Kahil Gibran in "The Prophet." The most repeated idea in the book is that any person that adds to the economic well being and comfort of their community will be sought out and cherished and that race has nothing to do with it. Coming from a person who started with so much less (he was a slave) that most of us have today and really practicing what he believed makes him someone that we all can admire. To put it in less academic terms, this is a book about an incredibly beautiful person that made me think deeply about myself and the world I live in.

The social confines of race are a self-imposed form of slavery, figurative bonds which may be loosed only through the merit of magnanimous work. Much has been discussed in recent years about the topics of racial equality, minority education, and our national history regarding members of the African-American race. It cannot be denied that a great injustice has been served this particular ethnic group, but the future is each citizen's responsibility, black and white alike. Booker T. Washington's reflective memoir, "Up From Slavery" positively affirms the virtues of equal parts work and study for a mutually successful society, race notwithstanding. As an autobiography chronicling Washington's humble beginnings in Confederate West Virginia among illiterate slaves to Boston society appealing to the socially prominent, "Up From Slavery" offers a contemporary view on race relations and the human condition. The narrative details Washington's childhood, contrasting the degrees of educational prosperity, domestic sanitation, and religious liberty with the unalienable provisions of slave owners. Washington illuminates the process of ascertaining an education against all odds, laboring in coalmines to afford night school, teaching eager black students, and finally dedicating his life's work to the renowned Tuskegee Institute. Rather tedious in these recollections, the book's plot is unnecessarily laden with exhaustive details and lacks depth in historical perspective. Given the time period in which it was written, there is margin for error in hypothetical suggestions for ethnic culmination, theorizing equal opportunities that did not materialize until seven decades later with desegregation. Individual statements are debatable, such as Washington's idealistic perspective on racial harmony being a non-issue directly after the Civil War, which seems highly unlikely given the past hundred years of civil rights conflict. Explaining the process of rising above local circumstances is the plot's best feature flowing smoothly into a chronological process, specific and concise. It plainly states the South's oppressive environment without delving into racial sympathy, lending remarkable strength. Written with commendable intentions, undue criticism of the white majority is withheld, replaced by cautious optimism and a hopeful spirit. The plot in general follows a logical sequence highlighting one man's endeavors to strive for a better life in impoverished circumstances and his inspiration to freed slaves. Typical of memoirs, the autobiography's focal point is Booker T. Washington's personal account and unique perspective. While other characters are not specifically elaborated, Washington is quick to credit his teachers, mentors, and benefactors in gracious tribute. Their admirable attributes are illuminated in model exemplification, deliberately but briefly identified. Not presenting thoroughly interesting characters for lack of breadth, the reader is focused on Washington himself rather than other outstanding individuals. His personal beliefs are well defined, confided in a trusting tone. Instead of feeling familiar with a cast of literary icons, the reader is acquainted with the author's own integrity and moral fiber. The main character is a sound representation of autobiographical focus, developed, interesting, and personal. In spite of race and social position, hard work employs utmost application in striving to reach full potential and earnest effort begets its own reward. "The man who can do something that the world wants done will in the end make his way regardless of race My experience is that there is something in human nature which always makes an individual recognize and reward merit, no matter under what colour of skin merit is found." Washington introduces his commentary on physical labor's role in mental preparation with that solid statement, proven true the world over. People are generally more alike than different, united in faith, hope and love, set to the same toil with the same ultimate goal. "Up From Slavery" `s central theme corresponds with reality's unprejudiced outcome of individual prosperity through rigorous application. In a progressive attempt to improve society, citizens are bound not by the iron chains of a ruling majority's tyranny but a communal commitment to self-improvement. Although borders, language and culture differentiate ethnic civilizations, their people endeavor for the same fundamental mores. Education, religion, freedom, and a reasonable level of personal satisfaction are sought by all races. Black and white, Asian and Latin American. Catholic, and Jewish, Buddhist and Baptist. English and Spanish, Mandarin and Ebonics. Beneath any layer of flesh, colored or pale, blood runs red as slavery's symbolic rose. People share their humanity if not their race, undivided for the betterment of our society through collective ability. The continuing popularity of Booker T. Washington's "Up From Slavery" originally published in 1903 has fostered universal awareness for nearly one person at a time by appealing to the heart, the mind, and the common human soul. When an individual improves his mind, converges the efforts of bodily work and recognizes the plight of fellow human beings, his life is changed. The world glows with the amber of hope for a united future, one person at a time.

Interesting tale but the reader (audio version) doesn't have the intonation that the original author was famous for, otherwise it would have gotten five stars. It is just a great period piece through the eyes of a man who tried to make the world a better place.

As a 21st century African American, I must take issue with Mr. Washington's statement regarding how in all things social we can be totally seperate and unequal.
Even though I can understand the practicality and expediency of making that sort of concession At That Time in history I still must question whether or not a statement such as that is a representation of true liberty and justice for all. In my mind it is not. It wasn't true then and it still isn't true today.
Despite the tremendous Economic strides that have been made by people of color globally and particularly in the U.S., thanks in no small part to the efforts of great people like Mr. Washington, the society at large has remained very stratified. Attitudes though much improved have largely remained the same. Statements like the esteemed Mr. Washington's have too often served to dismiss the responsibility of offenders to remedy past wrongs which still have impact in the present day. They also serve to deny true equality of opportunity to all citizens. It also accomodates the offenders far greater than is deserved and does grave injustice to black and white alike. Mr. Washington makes reference himself to how injustices done to the black populace are just as injurious to the white population. Yet he does not view social seperatism as an injustice. With that I must take issue.
All that notwithstanding it is an interesting, informative, and enjoyable read. Many of the principles by which he lived are as true today as they were during Reconstruction. However, certain opinions that he expressed could have the effect of limiting economic opportunity by confining Blacks to the ranks of laborers rather than entrepreneurs, managers, and other professionals if too stringently adhered to. These pursuits require concentrated study and effort by themselves.
So read it but be sure to place it in the proper context.

Up from Slavery, autobiography by Booker T. Washington, is a true classic in African-American literature. Washington opens Chapter 1: "A Slave Among Slaves" with his vivid recollections as a Negro child growing up in the South: a slave on a plantation in Virginia, a white father he never knew, illiterate and living in horrid conditions. After the emancipation of slaves, Washington's family moves to West Virginia where he labors at the salt furnace and in the coal mines. In his precious few moments of spare time, he learns to read and gains enough confidence to leave everything behind to journey to the Hampton Institute. Later, because of his success at Hampton, he is given the opportunity to start Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Tuskegee Institute is successful partly due to Washington's extensive travel to the North to solicit funds for the school. The students at Tuskegee, in addition to the day-to-day traditional class work, are expected to learn an industrious trade and to work at mastering that trade. Based on his own life experience, Washington believes that the most prudent way the Negro race will persevere is through this combination of education, hard work and service to others. He believes that the White race will come to appreciate the Negro race only if the Negro people prove their worth to society. Because of his passive stance, many, such as W.E.B. DuBois, et. al., labeled Washington as "The Great Accomodator." In other words, accommodating those who were the enslavers instead of advocating for the rights of those who were enslaved. You can get a sense of this in Washington's most notable speech, the address to the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895:

"The wisest among my race understand that the agitation of questions of social equality is the extremist folly, and that progress in the enjoyment of all the privileges that will come to us must be the result of severe and constant struggle rather than artificial forcing."

This speech brought national acclaim to Booker T. Washington and, at the time, placed him in the forefront as one of the leading authorities of his race.

I feel that I have met an extraordinary man of history after reading "Up From Slavery". This book is an autobiography by Professor Booker T Washington (1856-1915). He was born into the deplorable condition of genocide which bears the euphemism of "slavery". He found a way through iron will and determinism to "do a thing that the world wants done" enabling to "make a living for himself and others" through embracing the joy and love of labor. His greatest accomplishment was the founding and building of the Tuskegee Institute of Normal and Industrial Institute from a chicken shack to a school with assets of over $500,000 free from mortgage. He rose to national and international attention as the most influential African-American of his time with his famous speech calling people to "cast down your bucket where you are." People who accomplish great things are controversial, and Professor Washington was no different. Dr W E B Du Bois in "The Souls of Black Folk" wrote of Professor Washington, "His doctrine has tended to make the whites, North and South, shift the burden of the Negro problem to the Negro's shoulders and stand aside as critical and rather pessimistic spectators; when in fact the burden belongs to the nation, and the hands of none of us are clean if we bend not our energies to righting these great wrongs." During the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960's Washington's philosophy was called into question by none other than the great Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr, who wrote in his book "Why We Can't Wait", "Be content [Washington] said in effect, with doing well what the times permit you to do at all. However, this path, they soon felt, had too little freedom in its present and too little promise in its future." These are the issues that continue to develop, and will, I suspect, for some time to come. I was most impressed by the capacity for Professor Washington to forgive. Of all his impressive accomplishments, this is one that spoke to me undeniably of his courage and strength. He forgives the man who sired him, a man worthy of the title "father" only in the strict biological sense. Professor Washington writes, "Whoever he was, I never heard of his taking the least interest in me or providing in any way for my rearing. But I do not find especial fault with him. He was simply another unfortunate victim of the institution which the Nation unhappily had engrafted upon it at that time." Some contend that his attitudes were politically motivated, yet, I do not see what Professor Washington would stand to gain by forgiving the man who "fathered" him. With unblemished sincerity, he forgave his slave masters, ("man-stealers", as Frederick Douglass called them). Professor Washington wrote, "I pity from the bottom of my heart any nation or body of people that is so unfortunate as to get entangled in the net of slavery. I have long since ceased to cherish any spirit of bitterness against the southern white people on account of the enslavement of my race." He genuinely felt that he was far better off than his masters because, "the slave system on our place, in a large measure, took the spirit of self reliance and self-help out of the white people." Why would he believe this? The epitome of his life's goal was to find and do something which was valued. The very thing his masters could not do. "My old master had many boys and girls, but not one, so far as I know, ever mastered a single trade or special line of productive industry." Some may, after reading this book, still feel that Professor Washington's attitudes were politically motivated. I cannot accept that idea. I have never known any one nor do I believe it is possible to feign this level of forgiveness. It is my opinion that Professor Booker T Washington is a reflection of a love which is divine. This is one of the reasons I am so impressed with this man, and this book.

For educational pedagogy, for philanthropical courage, for inspiration and motivation on how to be the best person, read this book. Washington overcame enormous odds with intense ambition; he wanted to do his "level best" everyday.
I found his story to be the real thing, the real item in...get this...motivational literature. Of all the self-help books published today, Washington's autobiography reads realistic and true for courage, solid advice, and practical solutions.
Washington takes the large view to the race problems of his day. He is more concerned with building better human beings, male and female, regardless of race. His strategies with his students involved enforcing basic health care, instilling focused, daily discipline habits, providing vocational and academic training, and always presenting an overreaching concern for helping others achieve their highest potential. THAT is the good life.

A lot of things have been said and written concerning Booker Taliaferro Washington's book, "Up From Slavery". Some were hot, and some were cold. But one focus that unites all the varying opinions is that every critic or reviewer agreed that the book is superb. Also, most people acknowledged that Booker T. was a distinguished scholar (despite the overwhelming odds that weighed him down).
However, one big fact that most reviewers of this work have consistently overlooked is the circumstances that surrounded both the book and its writer. In order to have an accurate perspective of this book, we must not fail to evaluate what life was like for Booker T. After all, the book in question is his autobiography: written in a country where he was born and nurtured as a slave, before becoming a freeman whose basic human rights were consistently denied.
One fact that pops up in this regard is that Mr. Washington was never free in the real sense of the word. The type of freedom a typical Black American enjoys today was an unseen luxury throughout Booker T's life: (1856-1915).
In the same period, the life expectancy of an average Black American was less than half of what it is today. This was not because the folks then were all HIV-positive, but simply because any White man could barbecue a Black man right on the street and nothing would happen.
That Booker T. chose not to criticize the grievous atrocities that the ubiquitous racists meted on American Negroes is understandable. It was not a matter of choice per se, rather, the swain wanted to stay alive. He understood his environment well, and had a first-class knowledge of how racist America worked. Again, it is only a dummy who wouldn't know that the (first) publisher of "Up From Slavery" wouldn't have considered the manuscript if it contained anything that will embarrass or infuriate White America. And, Booker T. Washington might be made to pay a ghastly price for authoring an "offensive write-up". We must not forget that this book was written a century ago: when "freedom" and "justice" were very different from what it is today. In those days, many "critical" Black-oriented manuscripts ended-up in dustbins; and their authors were vilified and hunted down.
Today's critics who relax in comfortable armchairs and bellow that this book "lacked depth" in this way and that way, weren't born as Booker T. was; and I forgive them each time they use that word: 'slavery', in vain. Booker T. died in 1915, and history will always attest that Black Americans continued to struggle for freedom more than fifty years after his death.
An old adage has it that: 'A word is enough for the wise'. Thus, I will like to end my comments here. "Up From Slavery" is a very fine book. It is small: less than 250 pages. Hence, I don't need to review or analyze it with a thousand pages. Mr. Booker T. Washington did his best: given the insurmountable circumstances that surrounded his world.

I listened to this book, and the story is incredible. What God was able to do through Mr. Washington is absolutely astounding. So many different lessons to be learned, and well worth reading and listening to again and again.

Booker Washington rose to fame as a great American because of his intense understanding of the American system of government and his ability to stay focused. Booker obviously understood the impact of slavery on his race and that freedom alone was not enough in a country that did not respect that freedom. Booker's ideology coincided with that of Frederick Douglas who would have made the speech at the Atlanta Exposition, but he died earlier that year.Booker's speech was "nationalistic" as he told his listeners to be as seperate as the fingers on the hand and to cast down your buckets where you are. It appears to me that he prefered separation, and individualized education geared towards economic empowerment of the newly freed "negroes". 90% of all the black people in this country had been slaves and lived below the Mason-Dixon Line. The other 10% were free, yet not free. Tuskegee (Institute) University attests to his abilites as a monument builder. "Up From Slavery" is a story within a story. Booker T. Washinton, according to Louis Harlan was a "wizard". Even W.E.B. Dubois in his latter years, prior to joining the Communist Party began to agree with many of Washington's philosophies. Booker T. Washington was a politican and a technicrat. He got the job done.

This book provides a snapshot of the world of the US at one of it's most exciting times. The end of the 19th century was the "Progressive Era" when people came together and formed groups and associations that are still with us today. His metaphor of dipping into the cool clear water in which we are sailing for the human resources to build society is as true today as in 1890. His statement that the most pressing problem in America was for rich and poor to understand how each contributes to the whole and to learn to value each other is also timely.
Besides the fascinating historical perspective of the thinking of the time, there is the insight provided by Booker T. Washington himself. His adulation of labor is reminisint of Kahil Gibran in "The Prophet." The most repeated idea in the book is that any person that adds to the economic well being and comfort of their community will be sought out and cherished and that race has nothing to do with it. Coming from a person who started with so much less (he was a slave) that most of us have today and really practicing what he believed makes him someone that we all can admire. To put it in less academic terms, this is a book about an incredibly beautiful person that made me think deeply about myself and the world I live in.

The social confines of race are a self-imposed form of slavery, figurative bonds which may be loosed only through the merit of magnanimous work. Much has been discussed in recent years about the topics of racial equality, minority education, and our national history regarding members of the African-American race. It cannot be denied that a great injustice has been served this particular ethnic group, but the future is each citizen's responsibility, black and white alike. Booker T. Washington's reflective memoir, "Up From Slavery" positively affirms the virtues of equal parts work and study for a mutually successful society, race notwithstanding. As an autobiography chronicling Washington's humble beginnings in Confederate West Virginia among illiterate slaves to Boston society appealing to the socially prominent, "Up From Slavery" offers a contemporary view on race relations and the human condition. The narrative details Washington's childhood, contrasting the degrees of educational prosperity, domestic sanitation, and religious liberty with the unalienable provisions of slave owners. Washington illuminates the process of ascertaining an education against all odds, laboring in coalmines to afford night school, teaching eager black students, and finally dedicating his life's work to the renowned Tuskegee Institute. Rather tedious in these recollections, the book's plot is unnecessarily laden with exhaustive details and lacks depth in historical perspective. Given the time period in which it was written, there is margin for error in hypothetical suggestions for ethnic culmination, theorizing equal opportunities that did not materialize until seven decades later with desegregation. Individual statements are debatable, such as Washington's idealistic perspective on racial harmony being a non-issue directly after the Civil War, which seems highly unlikely given the past hundred years of civil rights conflict. Explaining the process of rising above local circumstances is the plot's best feature flowing smoothly into a chronological process, specific and concise. It plainly states the South's oppressive environment without delving into racial sympathy, lending remarkable strength. Written with commendable intentions, undue criticism of the white majority is withheld, replaced by cautious optimism and a hopeful spirit. The plot in general follows a logical sequence highlighting one man's endeavors to strive for a better life in impoverished circumstances and his inspiration to freed slaves. Typical of memoirs, the autobiography's focal point is Booker T. Washington's personal account and unique perspective. While other characters are not specifically elaborated, Washington is quick to credit his teachers, mentors, and benefactors in gracious tribute. Their admirable attributes are illuminated in model exemplification, deliberately but briefly identified. Not presenting thoroughly interesting characters for lack of breadth, the reader is focused on Washington himself rather than other outstanding individuals. His personal beliefs are well defined, confided in a trusting tone. Instead of feeling familiar with a cast of literary icons, the reader is acquainted with the author's own integrity and moral fiber. The main character is a sound representation of autobiographical focus, developed, interesting, and personal. In spite of race and social position, hard work employs utmost application in striving to reach full potential and earnest effort begets its own reward. "The man who can do something that the world wants done will in the end make his way regardless of race My experience is that there is something in human nature which always makes an individual recognize and reward merit, no matter under what colour of skin merit is found." Washington introduces his commentary on physical labor's role in mental preparation with that solid statement, proven true the world over. People are generally more alike than different, united in faith, hope and love, set to the same toil with the same ultimate goal. "Up From Slavery" `s central theme corresponds with reality's unprejudiced outcome of individual prosperity through rigorous application. In a progressive attempt to improve society, citizens are bound not by the iron chains of a ruling majority's tyranny but a communal commitment to self-improvement. Although borders, language and culture differentiate ethnic civilizations, their people endeavor for the same fundamental mores. Education, religion, freedom, and a reasonable level of personal satisfaction are sought by all races. Black and white, Asian and Latin American. Catholic, and Jewish, Buddhist and Baptist. English and Spanish, Mandarin and Ebonics. Beneath any layer of flesh, colored or pale, blood runs red as slavery's symbolic rose. People share their humanity if not their race, undivided for the betterment of our society through collective ability. The continuing popularity of Booker T. Washington's "Up From Slavery" originally published in 1903 has fostered universal awareness for nearly one person at a time by appealing to the heart, the mind, and the common human soul. When an individual improves his mind, converges the efforts of bodily work and recognizes the plight of fellow human beings, his life is changed. The world glows with the amber of hope for a united future, one person at a time.

Interesting tale but the reader (audio version) doesn't have the intonation that the original author was famous for, otherwise it would have gotten five stars. It is just a great period piece through the eyes of a man who tried to make the world a better place.

As a 21st century African American, I must take issue with Mr. Washington's statement regarding how in all things social we can be totally seperate and unequal.
Even though I can understand the practicality and expediency of making that sort of concession At That Time in history I still must question whether or not a statement such as that is a representation of true liberty and justice for all. In my mind it is not. It wasn't true then and it still isn't true today.
Despite the tremendous Economic strides that have been made by people of color globally and particularly in the U.S., thanks in no small part to the efforts of great people like Mr. Washington, the society at large has remained very stratified. Attitudes though much improved have largely remained the same. Statements like the esteemed Mr. Washington's have too often served to dismiss the responsibility of offenders to remedy past wrongs which still have impact in the present day. They also serve to deny true equality of opportunity to all citizens. It also accomodates the offenders far greater than is deserved and does grave injustice to black and white alike. Mr. Washington makes reference himself to how injustices done to the black populace are just as injurious to the white population. Yet he does not view social seperatism as an injustice. With that I must take issue.
All that notwithstanding it is an interesting, informative, and enjoyable read. Many of the principles by which he lived are as true today as they were during Reconstruction. However, certain opinions that he expressed could have the effect of limiting economic opportunity by confining Blacks to the ranks of laborers rather than entrepreneurs, managers, and other professionals if too stringently adhered to. These pursuits require concentrated study and effort by themselves.
So read it but be sure to place it in the proper context.

Up from Slavery, autobiography by Booker T. Washington, is a true classic in African-American literature. Washington opens Chapter 1: "A Slave Among Slaves" with his vivid recollections as a Negro child growing up in the South: a slave on a plantation in Virginia, a white father he never knew, illiterate and living in horrid conditions. After the emancipation of slaves, Washington's family moves to West Virginia where he labors at the salt furnace and in the coal mines. In his precious few moments of spare time, he learns to read and gains enough confidence to leave everything behind to journey to the Hampton Institute. Later, because of his success at Hampton, he is given the opportunity to start Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Tuskegee Institute is successful partly due to Washington's extensive travel to the North to solicit funds for the school. The students at Tuskegee, in addition to the day-to-day traditional class work, are expected to learn an industrious trade and to work at mastering that trade. Based on his own life experience, Washington believes that the most prudent way the Negro race will persevere is through this combination of education, hard work and service to others. He believes that the White race will come to appreciate the Negro race only if the Negro people prove their worth to society. Because of his passive stance, many, such as W.E.B. DuBois, et. al., labeled Washington as "The Great Accomodator." In other words, accommodating those who were the enslavers instead of advocating for the rights of those who were enslaved. You can get a sense of this in Washington's most notable speech, the address to the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895:

"The wisest among my race understand that the agitation of questions of social equality is the extremist folly, and that progress in the enjoyment of all the privileges that will come to us must be the result of severe and constant struggle rather than artificial forcing."

This speech brought national acclaim to Booker T. Washington and, at the time, placed him in the forefront as one of the leading authorities of his race.

I feel that I have met an extraordinary man of history after reading "Up From Slavery". This book is an autobiography by Professor Booker T Washington (1856-1915). He was born into the deplorable condition of genocide which bears the euphemism of "slavery". He found a way through iron will and determinism to "do a thing that the world wants done" enabling to "make a living for himself and others" through embracing the joy and love of labor. His greatest accomplishment was the founding and building of the Tuskegee Institute of Normal and Industrial Institute from a chicken shack to a school with assets of over $500,000 free from mortgage. He rose to national and international attention as the most influential African-American of his time with his famous speech calling people to "cast down your bucket where you are." People who accomplish great things are controversial, and Professor Washington was no different. Dr W E B Du Bois in "The Souls of Black Folk" wrote of Professor Washington, "His doctrine has tended to make the whites, North and South, shift the burden of the Negro problem to the Negro's shoulders and stand aside as critical and rather pessimistic spectators; when in fact the burden belongs to the nation, and the hands of none of us are clean if we bend not our energies to righting these great wrongs." During the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960's Washington's philosophy was called into question by none other than the great Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr, who wrote in his book "Why We Can't Wait", "Be content [Washington] said in effect, with doing well what the times permit you to do at all. However, this path, they soon felt, had too little freedom in its present and too little promise in its future." These are the issues that continue to develop, and will, I suspect, for some time to come. I was most impressed by the capacity for Professor Washington to forgive. Of all his impressive accomplishments, this is one that spoke to me undeniably of his courage and strength. He forgives the man who sired him, a man worthy of the title "father" only in the strict biological sense. Professor Washington writes, "Whoever he was, I never heard of his taking the least interest in me or providing in any way for my rearing. But I do not find especial fault with him. He was simply another unfortunate victim of the institution which the Nation unhappily had engrafted upon it at that time." Some contend that his attitudes were politically motivated, yet, I do not see what Professor Washington would stand to gain by forgiving the man who "fathered" him. With unblemished sincerity, he forgave his slave masters, ("man-stealers", as Frederick Douglass called them). Professor Washington wrote, "I pity from the bottom of my heart any nation or body of people that is so unfortunate as to get entangled in the net of slavery. I have long since ceased to cherish any spirit of bitterness against the southern white people on account of the enslavement of my race." He genuinely felt that he was far better off than his masters because, "the slave system on our place, in a large measure, took the spirit of self reliance and self-help out of the white people." Why would he believe this? The epitome of his life's goal was to find and do something which was valued. The very thing his masters could not do. "My old master had many boys and girls, but not one, so far as I know, ever mastered a single trade or special line of productive industry." Some may, after reading this book, still feel that Professor Washington's attitudes were politically motivated. I cannot accept that idea. I have never known any one nor do I believe it is possible to feign this level of forgiveness. It is my opinion that Professor Booker T Washington is a reflection of a love which is divine. This is one of the reasons I am so impressed with this man, and this book.

For educational pedagogy, for philanthropical courage, for inspiration and motivation on how to be the best person, read this book. Washington overcame enormous odds with intense ambition; he wanted to do his "level best" everyday.
I found his story to be the real thing, the real item in...get this...motivational literature. Of all the self-help books published today, Washington's autobiography reads realistic and true for courage, solid advice, and practical solutions.
Washington takes the large view to the race problems of his day. He is more concerned with building better human beings, male and female, regardless of race. His strategies with his students involved enforcing basic health care, instilling focused, daily discipline habits, providing vocational and academic training, and always presenting an overreaching concern for helping others achieve their highest potential. THAT is the good life.

A lot of things have been said and written concerning Booker Taliaferro Washington's book, "Up From Slavery". Some were hot, and some were cold. But one focus that unites all the varying opinions is that every critic or reviewer agreed that the book is superb. Also, most people acknowledged that Booker T. was a distinguished scholar (despite the overwhelming odds that weighed him down).
However, one big fact that most reviewers of this work have consistently overlooked is the circumstances that surrounded both the book and its writer. In order to have an accurate perspective of this book, we must not fail to evaluate what life was like for Booker T. After all, the book in question is his autobiography: written in a country where he was born and nurtured as a slave, before becoming a freeman whose basic human rights were consistently denied.
One fact that pops up in this regard is that Mr. Washington was never free in the real sense of the word. The type of freedom a typical Black American enjoys today was an unseen luxury throughout Booker T's life: (1856-1915).
In the same period, the life expectancy of an average Black American was less than half of what it is today. This was not because the folks then were all HIV-positive, but simply because any White man could barbecue a Black man right on the street and nothing would happen.
That Booker T. chose not to criticize the grievous atrocities that the ubiquitous racists meted on American Negroes is understandable. It was not a matter of choice per se, rather, the swain wanted to stay alive. He understood his environment well, and had a first-class knowledge of how racist America worked. Again, it is only a dummy who wouldn't know that the (first) publisher of "Up From Slavery" wouldn't have considered the manuscript if it contained anything that will embarrass or infuriate White America. And, Booker T. Washington might be made to pay a ghastly price for authoring an "offensive write-up". We must not forget that this book was written a century ago: when "freedom" and "justice" were very different from what it is today. In those days, many "critical" Black-oriented manuscripts ended-up in dustbins; and their authors were vilified and hunted down.
Today's critics who relax in comfortable armchairs and bellow that this book "lacked depth" in this way and that way, weren't born as Booker T. was; and I forgive them each time they use that word: 'slavery', in vain. Booker T. died in 1915, and history will always attest that Black Americans continued to struggle for freedom more than fifty years after his death.
An old adage has it that: 'A word is enough for the wise'. Thus, I will like to end my comments here. "Up From Slavery" is a very fine book. It is small: less than 250 pages. Hence, I don't need to review or analyze it with a thousand pages. Mr. Booker T. Washington did his best: given the insurmountable circumstances that surrounded his world.

I listened to this book, and the story is incredible. What God was able to do through Mr. Washington is absolutely astounding. So many different lessons to be learned, and well worth reading and listening to again and again.

If you feel like you have it bad and life has passed you by.... READ THIS BOOK! I usually avoid biographies and autobiographies because they often seem to boast and be egotistic. Booker T. Washington did not strike me as a selfish individual. His whole life centered around education (life-long learning). Think about what a wonderful world we would have if children (and adults) followed this concept. The majority of people never open a book (non-fiction) after they leave school! I have had a solid determination for the past four or five years, to improve my life through books and tapes, and I feel as though I've found my true calling in life... learning! This book is primarily about raising the black race from being enslaved to an educated and highly skilled race. The author was highly instrumental in bringing this process about. He was educated and completed his schooling at the 'Hampton' school with honors. He then built and directed the 'Tuskegee' school in Alabama, and devoted his whole life to service. While this book was very informative, and is considered a milestone by a true pioneer, it is a little bit monotonous, thus four stars. I would highly recommend it nevertheless. Many of the thoughts, attitudes, and sayings of Booker T. Washington have been used by modern authors and speakers, and will live forever. Our country and the black race are forever in his debt for the legacy he left behind. I certainly feel better about life after reading this book. You will too.

A fascinating read about the life and times of Booker T. Washington and his march from slavery to one of the foremost men of his time.

His views may seem quite antiquated in today's world, given what has happened and not happened in the last 100 years in race relations and it is easy to see how Black leaders of today might be critical of Washington's views and perspectives.

But to do so would be to make the all too common mistake of imprinting and transferring today's value system and experiences on a culture and time of long ago. Anyone can look back with 20-20 hindsight and criticize. What matters most is having a plan to move forward from where you are, and Booker T. Washington certainly had that. His is a remarkable story of courage, grace, and iron-willed determination, for himself and for his race.

While today's leaders and purists might criticize Washington, it should never be forgotten that he took the first steps and led his race and the entire South in the first steps, no matter how imperfect they may be in hindsight, up and away from slavery.

There had to be a Booker T. Washington to bridge the gap between what was and what was to be. He knew his role and peformed it well.

"Up from Slavery" is an excellent insight into the life of Booker Taliaferro Washington, and his life-long desire to better himself as well as both the black and white people of the South. This autobiography begins with Mr. Washington's childhood where he grew up as a slave, and continues throughout his adult life. Hard work is something that Mr. Washington believed in, and he felt it was essential that all students of the Tuskegee Institute must embrace.

One of the things that struck me the most about this story was Mr. Washington's philosophy on how the black man could better his station in life. It wasn't through handouts or welfare, but by believing "The individual who can do something that the world wants done will, in the end, make his way regardless of race." The story includes numerous examples of how Tuskegee students would do things (e.g., making bricks, efficiently growing vegetables, etc.) that would bring them respect and recognition in the community.

One other thing I really liked was Mr. Washington's belief in teaching students how to be an overall better person. This includes everything from dental hygiene to hard work and it also focused on the moral aspects of being a good person developed through Christian principals.

A riveting account of Washington's extraordinary struggle fueled by boundless optimism.
However, Washington's faith appears overly buoyant when he writes the following about the Ku Klux Klan: 'To-day there are no such organizations in the South, and the fact that such ever existed is almost forgotten by both races. There are few places in the South now where public sentiment would permit such organizations to exist.'
Of course, a hundred years later the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist organizations are alive and well in the U.S.
I was surprised to discover that this book - although published in 1901 - employs British (rather than American) spellings for words such as "labour" (labor) and "colour" (color).
This is an important document of its time that must be read by anyone with the mildest interest in world history and the human condition that shapes it.

It was a pleasure to meet this great man through this, his, book. A previous book I reviewed made me curious about how the black slaves in the south lived before their emancipation. This book satisfied my curiosity. More than saying that, I find it is difficult to review this book. Simply put, Mr. Washington tells you about his life and in so doing tells you about himself and the principles he lived by. I feel there are valuable lessons to be learned here. I'll just take two quotes, "...the thing to do, when one feels sure that he has said or done the right thing, and is condemned, is to stand still and keep quiet. If he is right, time will show it." I believe Jesus sent the same message. I heard that the great scientist, Robert J Oppenheimer, became depressed after being condemned as a Communist. If so, I guess he hadn't learned this lesson. The second, "Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him." This was illustrated over and over again in the book. Other great men have also said this, but if it has been heard by most people, in the workplace and at home, it is ignored so much of the time. This book is inspiring. I wish all young people would read it and heed it; then this would be a better world.

"Up from slavery" documents the rise of Booker T. Washington, from a plantation slave to the head of Tuskegee college in Alabama. Along the way his narrative details the squalor and humiliations of his childhood and ends with a number of journalistic adulations regarding his career and speeches. It is a wonderful book, yet curious.
Unlike Frederick Douglass, the severe critic of the slaveholding South, Washington's outlook is decidedly postive. He refuses to get into any kind of individual or group bashing, but prefers to dwell on the successes of blacks, improving race relations, and the success of his school- and students. He becomes enamored of his own success on the stump, but such is the case with most ambitious, forward looking individuals. I would have liked a bit more criticism, and fewer excerpts from the newspapers of his time (regarding his speech-making ability.) His repeated refrains about service and merit (being the only true measure of a man), are sound. All in all, this is an upbeat, inspiring story from a man who truly defied the odds, and his winning attitude is sorely needed today.

Black South Africans have been deprived of educational system for a very long time. Reading this autobiography I'm inspired to teach as much as I've learn to others less fortunate. And I may end up being a career academic like Booker T as well. Having started a career in public speaking before reading this book I feel even more inspired to continue this pursuit because its such an effective tool. Booker T was a master orator from his own accounts. Surely all the invitations received (with no marketing or self-promotion) is a testament to his skill as an orator. Slow but sure progress is made. The language is easy to understand yet the structure is complex because there are lessons to be learnt on many levels. I highly recommend this book to all non-white South African especially those of mixed decent and black people in general. Booker T was what is called in modern South Africa a "coloured" person. He has a white father and a black mother.

Hello,
After reading this book for school, I will definitely recommend this book to the correct age group. To begin, the book is very hard to read. As many biography's, the book contains a lot of detail and not very much action to keep the reader interested. However, for a high school student, I believe that the book becomes much easier to read. The book covers Booker's entire life all the way from him living on the streets under a streetlamp, to him meeting the Queen and the President. It tells the struggles of Booker as he slowly gains a reputation that can not be matched by many men. The book is a great read and very informative and a very accurate depiction of Booker's life.
4/5 *

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of "Up From Slavery." I hope that in celebration of this anniversary, many people will discover Washington's autobiography for the first time. I was fascinated and inspired by Washington's quiet and humble manner as he describes what it was like to be a slave as a youth. Washington traces his struggle for an education, and his later challenges and trials as an educator. His account of the building and molding of the Tuskeegee Institute is one of the most inspiring stories I have read in years. Washington did not want to have anything handed to him. He wanted to earn every goal he set for himself, and earn them he did. His influence was and continues to be incredible. This is an amazing book every American should read.

Booker T. Washington wrote a lively narrative of his life that deserves our attention today. The first couple of pages are startling for the nonchalant way he relates that he doesn't know the year of his birth, nor the exact location, nor with certainty who his father was. He does, on the other hand, describe the tiny dimensions to the cabin where he lived and what life was like for the slaves. Washington went on from these humble beginnings to a fine education and a life of meritoriously helping fellow negroes to improve their education and vocational endeavors. This book is a good reminder of the stark conditions and large barriers present for slaves making the transition to free members of society following the Civil War.

The life story of Booker T. Washington was uplifting and inspiring. This shows that a person can arise from the ashes of their life, and make something worthwhile of themselves. Being born a slave was a major set back in their lives. Booker was determined to received and education at any cost, and he succeeded. Nothing was handed to him. Hard work and perserverance was the only way he could accomplish his goals.

Through turbalent times after the Civil War, Booker united the white and black race. Together they worked to build one of the finest educational institution in the south-Tuskegee, renamed Tuskegee University.

What is most striking about Washington's autobiographical account of his rise from slavery to revered statesman is his lack of resentment toward white culture. Rather than focus on what whites should do to uplift blacks, Washington encouraged blacks to take individual agency over their lives. He believed the best way for blacks to achieve social parity was to become indispensable members of the communities in which they lived. His absolute confidence in black resilience would probably be regarded as naive in today's political discourse. And yet the long list of his (and all black culture's) achievements during this period are unmistakable and nothing short of inspiring.
It's a shame this book is on the African American Studies shelf. The lessons from Washington's life apply to all humans, not just blacks. This book would be an excellent addition high school reading lists as a model of the values consonant with personal success.

Of my father I know even less than of my mother. I do not even know his name. I have heard reports to the effect that he was a white man who lived on one of the near-by plantations. Whoever he was, I never heard of his taking the least interest in me or providing in any way for my rearing. But I do not find especial fault with him. He was simply another unfortunate victim of the institution which the Nation unhappily had engrafted upon it at that time. - Booker T. Washington's Up From Slavery (Chapter 1)

Booker T. Washington gives us all the blueprint for how an African man can succeed in the American system. He must forgive any person in power who wrongs him, his family, and/or his community. In the 21st century the African man must perform more acts than forgiveness. He must: erase the bass from his voice, tighten his lips and the rest of his body to minimize African features, show hatred of African people or an indifference to their suffering. If an African man shows any of the attitudes mentioned or a combination of those attitudes, he will succeed in the current American system. You do not have to look to the most famous examples to see African men twisting themselves out of their minds, just look around you, these men are closer than you think.

Over the years, being aware of the great rivalry between Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Dubois I had grown used to Dubois followers saying Booker T. was an accommodationalist Uncle Tom, and other similar statements. I read Up from Slavery as a teenager, and I didn't get that impression from him at the time, so I usually dismissed people's negativity about him as misunderstanding. Having recently re-read the book, it made a far stronger impression on me as an adult and I feel compelled to give my own opinion, especially since the old "accommodationalist Uncle Tom" reviews are also on this site.

The time period after the slaves were freed was known as Reconstruction. The former slaves were both scared as to what the future held and deeply excited to experience this concept of freedom with the fire and enthusiasm of the Newly Born. For the most part they were very ignorant of their past, of how to establish themselves as a thriving community, how to interact with their white neighbors in a way beneficial to all and how to best use their money and time to grow as individuals. The whites were equally scared as to what the future held (change is often scary) but they were also excited for the former slaves and 100% wished them well. Yes, this was also the time period that formed the KKK, but evil racists were always around and thankfully, then as now, are in the minority.

As Booker T. explained, both the owner and the owned had been damaged by the chattel slavery institution. Because the lowest member of society was the slave to whom all menial labor was delegated to, both races saw work/labor as something to be avoided. The whites saw it as something that was beneath them, while the blacks felt they should rise up above it as free men. For them, "freedom" meant `I no longer have to work hard.' The blacks felt that if they could get an education they could "live by their wits" by teaching, being politicians, preaching or any other profession that required thinking for money, so that they would never have to perform physical work/labor with their hands again. They suffered from many misconceptions as to what made a free person successful, such as purchasing a very expensive item that they couldn't afford as a status symbol to show that they've "made it" even going into severe debt to have it. They felt that intensive study into Latin or Greek languages somehow made them superior to other people and that mastery in these fields also proved that they had "made it."

Booker T. and Dubois created two models designed to help pull the race forward as a free and successful people.

1.) Booker T. Washington's model involved not only a solid education in academics and Qur'anic/Biblical principles (integrity, hard work and patient perseverance) but he also felt that each member of the race should be schooled in industry and the value of Sacred Work/Labor. As opposed to the work they were used to doing as a slave, Sacred Work was the necessary work put forward that not only made an individual indispensable to his community, but it built character, confidence, assurance, dignity and gave the valuable gift of the concept of "a job well done." Each individual was to master a trade (or two or three) that was vital to a community's growth and do that trade to the utmost best of his/her ability so that not only would the community be successful and grow but the neighboring communities would also find that community indispensable. This would promote both a brotherly camaraderie between communities as well as help the economy by increasing the competition in free trade. Booker T's model would enable the average man to be a vital asset to his community which would become structurally solid and a vital asset to the nation's other communities. It is designed to build up the entire black community as a whole while allowing for exceptional individuals (like Booker T. Washington) to excel. This was indeed the American Dream model, that through hard work, determination, persistence and education you can achieve success.

Booker T felt that because the black and white races went through slavery together, they needed to be healed together. Starting off with nothing, the former slaves needed help in order to get a foot hold onto their future. His model pulls the races together for their mutual benefit; as the black race builds itself up the white race will benefit in the proper symbiotic relationship between two businesses. Yes, Booker T. rightly saw the growing community of former slaves as a developing business and he recognized that no business achieves its ultimate success without the help of other businesses, in this case the southern and northern whites. Just like FedEx and Kinko's or Exxon and Ford work together and thus enhance each other, Booker T. knew that in order to really be successful both races needed to work together (Didn't Up from Slavery function as a business plan for investors, after all?). Of course for the grand scheme of things, for the sake of his race's success why would Booker T. (or any other black person) alienate whites by continuously putting in their faces the evils of slavery and colonialism? In other words, why would a struggling start-up business alienate the banking industry and other investors by pointing out their wrong doings? They would be cutting their own throats. Obviously, if ever there was a time to forgive and forget Reconstruction was that time. And once the ultimate success had been achieved both races would do whatever they needed to ensure the wellbeing of the partner. If some racist bigots burned a cross on Kinko's lawn and threatened to lynch the manager, don't you think FedEx would also be insulted and demand the practice stop?

2.) W. E. B. Dubois was actually the spokesman for the blacks who felt that they shouldn't have to work hard anymore, now they should be free to live the way they watched the whites live for two centuries. In the Dubois model, the individual was encouraged to achieve the highest education he was able to. This would guarantee that the "Talented Tenth" (the small percentage of highly gifted individuals among every people) would attain the mega-success that was the American Dream. Dubois felt that it's the Talented Tenth among every race that furthers the goals of the community as a whole, and that the masses would benefit from a Reaganomics-like trickle down effect. This model, encouraging a work-o-phobic attitude and a individual's pursuit of success did nothing to build the black community but gave the hope that whites would accept the blacks into their communities "because we are free like you and we demand to live equally with you because we say so" which actually was the attitude that formed the KKK in the first place. Unlike the model of his rival, Dubois did not establish a system that would remove the slave mentality from the people so they would want to work hard in order to elevate themselves. Consequently, the concept of the "educated fool" was born, with the black academic full of dead languages and abstract principles with absolutely no practical way of using his education to enhance the quality of his character, dignity, morality, integrity or his community as a whole. His community is a raggedy shambles after only a few years of his living in it, because the slave mentality that the Dubois model perpetuates won't permit him even to take pride in slapping on a new coat of paint, mowing the lawn or cleaning up the trash and beer bottles littered in front of his house. Although the Talented Tenth's accomplishments have moved the race forward in very slow increments the average man, with the idea that work is bad and education only benefits a few, is free only to get in trouble or be used up for someone else's dream while he waits for the next minute advancement from the trickle down effect.

Obviously W. E. B. Dubois won the debate. Seeing the Dubois model as the easy route to success, they simply labeled Booker T. as an Uncle Tom and waited for their Talented Tenth to do their thing and never gave another thought about the matter. How they felt about Booker T. was summed up by how actor Moses Gunn played him in the movie Ragtime. Does it feel better knowing that at the end of his life, Dubois admitted that Booker T. was right?

No. The damage has now been done. People are fond of saying, "But we've come so far!" But have we? We would've come much farther much sooner if we had embraced Booker T's vision instead of Dubois' work-o-phobic, trickle down vision. They make that statement by pointing to the kind, modern white people that live among us today. But there have always been kind-hearted white people who've honestly wished us success! Look where all the money that helped found Tuskegee and the Hampton Institute came from. Look at the reality of our progress. As a community, after over a century since the Emancipation Proclamation, we have the same mentality we had as newly freed slaves. Instead of a household sharing a single fork and wasting all of their money on an organ that we can't play, now we've replaced the organ with a Cadillac Escalade or a Coach bag or some rims. Our communities are chaotic and scattered with no concept of leaving a legacy for our children. We lack the business savvy to own our own community shops and stores so that corporate predators can take advantage and just take our money out of our communities.

Without Booker T's life training fundamentals we still are in need of therapy for the centuries of chattel slavery we've gone through and so are the descendants of our former masters. Just like we have made little progress past the legacy of slavery's inferiority complex so they are still suffering from the superiority complex slavery gave to them. For the whites, they don't see anything wrong with building up vast wealth off of the blood, sweat and tears of others and giving them as little compensation as they can get away with. They honestly don't see anything wrong with playing with the worker's minds to make them feel they are getting a good deal. Because of this, the old wealthy white families who've built their money through slave labor and their peers actually sought how they could continue to take advantage of black slave labor without breaking the new anti-slavery laws. I believe that Up from Slavery is an excellent model as to how the black race can pull itself together into an awesome community, but I also believe that the warped mind suffering under a superiority complex can "reverse engineer" the book and use it to prevent such a community from forming in the first place.

STEP ONE

Destroy all existing examples of strong black communities

STEP TWO

Pull out the wealthiest, most productive members of the community leaving the ignorant, defenseless poor

STEP THREE

Allow drugs and alcohol to flow freely into the ranks of the poor so that their frustrations and stress will ignite into various crimes

STEP FOUR

Paint the picture in the popular media (both bluntly and subliminally) that these people are prone to criminal behavior anyway

STEP FIVE

With the public's approval, round them up and fill up the prisons with them. Now they are the property of the State, and can be legally contracted out as slave labor... continuing where we left off.

If Dubois' model had not have been adopted, we would have been the ultimate success story, a strong and vibrant community making a major contribution to our nation's prosperity and our own people's legacy. Of course it's not too late to fix it. All we have to do is stop calling Booker T. Washington an "accommodating Uncle Tom" and get to work.

Up From Slavery is the classic autobiography of Booker T. Washington. Washington gives an interesting, alternative perspective regarding slavery and slave owners. This is what Mr. Washington stated regarding his boyhood owners: "My life had its beginnings in the midst of the most miserable, desolate, and discouraging surroundings. This was so, however, not because my owners were especially cruel, for they were not, as compared with many others...........One may get the idea, from what I have said, that there was a bitter feeling toward the white people on the part of my race, because of the fact that most of the white population was away fighting in a war which would result in keeping the Negro in slavery if the South was successful. In the case of the slaves on our place this was not true, and it was not true of any large portion of the slave population in the South where the Negro was treated with anything like decency."
Washington is here saying that although many slaves were mistreated by their owners, many were treated relatively well.

Not only does Mr. Washington offer an interesting perspective on slavery, he was an early black educator. Washington believed that black people should have no privileges because of their color. He believed that it was the fault of the black man if he did not succeed and it was not because of the white man. He urged the people of his race to work for their living and not depend on others for help. When times were the very hardest for the black people, Washington helped lift them up and get them on their feet. He founded Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. This school began as a small night-school for black people. Washington build a fine institution for the black race by the sweat of his brow.

Booker T. Washington did not view his race as mistreated victims, instead he took a great amount of pride in the black race and wanted others to understand what a privilege it was to be a part of it, as this quote seems to indicate:"From any point of view, I had rather be what I am, a member of the Negro race, than be able to claim membership with the most favoured of any other race.....This I have said here, not to call attention to myself as an individual, but to the race to which I am proud to belong."

Booker T. Washington's Up From Slavery is an American classic. It is the true life story of a little slave boy who grew up to become one of the finest leaders for his race.

Alina Stanton Nov.15
Up From Slavery
The author of this book is Booker T. Washington. This book is about Booker T Washington. It's an autobiography of how he grew up as a slave and as a free man. It shows the struggles that a lot of poor slaves had when they were freed from slavery.
When Booker was young he lived with his mom on one plantation, his dad lived on another. He lived with his mom, half brother, half sister and step dad. Booker really wanted an education, so he started to teach himself to read. He had an English dictionary that emphasized on the alphabet and he read it all the time. Soon the slaves were freed. Booker started going to a day school once it opened up. He was not able to go to school later on because he had to work in a coal mine with his dad. He made a deal with his dad to work on the coalmines early in the morning till nine then goes to school. When he was a little older he decided to go to a school called Hampton Institute in West Virginia. You can live there and work as well as go to school.
While he lived there he had to work hard. He had to make money all the ways he could. He worked as a waitress a maid and a janitor. He met a general by the name of Armstrong. He respected this man a lot because he was very important. Booker felt honored to meet such a wealthy man, he liked the general a lot because he was very kind. General Armstrong gave Booker a personal check, which he had been saving for his own use, to help Tuskegee. That summer after his first year in the institute he had to work to pay off a sixteen-dollar debt. His mother died during the summer, he knew that he would never see her again. He graduated that year and then went to teach at the school that he attended when he was a boy. In 1878 he entered Wayland Seminary in Washington D.C. for a year of study. While he was there he made speeches in West Virginia for General Garfields presidency campaign. He graduated first class in Tuskegee in 1885.
In my opinion, this is a descent book. It shows how the poor slaves grew up in a white world and how they struggled. It has a lot of information on Bookers life and how he struggled to make a good living and get a good education. I think Booker T. Washington is a well mannered, honorable man.

Booker Ts story really inspires. It just shows that with positive thinking and motivation, tremendous difficulties, odds and challenges are beatable. It's a message many of us would gain from if we would just stop complaining and blaming others for our lot in life, and just get moving on up!

I've reviewed the CreateSpace edition, ISBN 1438268165. It's a clear, easy to read version, well designed and the print and binding are excellent. Highly recommended!

I did not purchase this from the store, but got it as a second hand item. It tells of his life beginning from slavery to becoming a principal. I wrote a lesson on it for my blog. Enjoy that as well. http://homeschoolingconsultation.blogspot.com/2015/02/black-history-month.html

Booker T. Washington lived his life on target. He had a purpose and he made a lasting contribution. Washington was a Christian, a scholar, a motivator, a writer, an educator, a role model, a scientist, and more. Look at his life, what he wrote and how he approached life and you will see similarities between his thoughts and those of other achievers. Such individuals usually: read extensively, travel widely, and pursue education. This book is loaded with Christian success principles that transcend time and location. I found this book to be extremely inspiring. What would BTW do if he had the internet?

I feel that Washington's book was very much like he was, and that is two-faced. It may have been true that he needed white support in order to get money for blacks but I feel that he didn't tell the story the way it should have been told. Slavery was a lot harsher than Washington wrote it was, this book was too carefree in dealing with the harshness of slavery. He wrote the book for the white man to read so that he could get their support and their money. He was the Benedict Arnold of the black folk.

The author was highly instrumental in bringing this process about. He was educated and completed his schooling at the 'Hampton' school with honors. He then built and directed the 'Tuskegee' school in Alabama, and devoted his whole life to service. While this book was very informative, and is considered a milestone by a true pioneer, it is a little bit monotonous, thus THREE stars. I would highly recommend it nevertheless. Many of the thoughts, attitudes, and sayings of Booker T. Washington have been used by modern authors and speakers, and will live forever. Our country and the black race are forever in his debt for the legacy he left behind. I certainly feel better about life after reading this book. You will too.

Booker T. Washington has always been a figure that history teachers use, in my opinion, to support the so-called "Good" African-Americans. In other words, those who don't cause trouble. "Up From Slavery" displays this side of Mr. Washington. This book is worth reading because of Booker's determination that allowed him to rise above his former conditions. Yet, one can't help but get the feeling that he is all-to-ready to forget what has happened to him. Booker continues to explain, rather naively, in my opinion, how racism is to soon be erased. I feel it's unfortunate how things later came to contradict his predicitons, but he is foolishly optimistic. Overall, "Up From Slavery" is a decent book, but occasionally tedious.

I had never read anything about Booker T. Washington before, but on a whim decided to read this book. It is excellent! Spanning from Booker's beginnings as a slave, through emancipation, to leading a college for blacks, his is an inspiring journey. I bought everyone in my family this book for Christmas. A must read!

This book is hard to get into at first because Washington, in my opinion, isn't the greatest writer. He writes using many run-on sentences and MANY, MANY commas with phrases that can distract you from the meaning of the sentence (as a rule, notwithstanding, to such an extent, this is to say etc...) he seems to state his observations as if it is a fact. He tells how there were such great relations between blacks & whites throughout the south and blacks held ABSOLUTELY NO resentment towards their slaveowners. I found that hard to believe (how would he know when he was just a slave?) Many of his "facts" didn't seem to agree with history and what I thought slavery and black/white relations were like. He almost seemed ignorant to what was probably happening around him. He goes on to tell about his life and spends at least 1/2 of the book talking about his school in Tuskegee...after a while it gets boring and you want to hear some interesting stories about HIM! I didn't think the book was too great or very informative at all.

Wow! What a remarkable story, this man was and should be now an inspiration to us ALL! I felt bad for him because I believe he literally worked himself to an early death. It would have been an honor to have met him!

Rather than seeing just the one piece of the puzzle that is America's race relations history, invest instead in the larger Norton Anthology of American Literature or another compendium that has the Washington work excerpted with that of others from that and other periods. The knowledge of the greater context, in the speaker's (or writer's) own words is mind expanding.

I picked this up recently and read it over the course of a couple weeks. This isn't a book just about the struggle of a single man or a single race. It is a book about what is possible with dedication to an idea. Few people could overcome the obstacles that Booker T. Washington overcame. It isn't that we are physically incapable, but that we aren't willing to sacrifice today for future benefit. Everyone can get something from this book.

This is an excellent book. I am amazed by the insight and intelligence of Mr. Washington. He created a very powerful legacy. The autobiography shows the desire, of a man fresh from slavery, to succeed and in turn help others do the same. Many of his thoughts are applicable today. Throughout the book, he emphasizes the need to use one's talents and abilities to increase prosperity for not only the current generation but also for the next one. This is a necessary read for anyone desiring success and especially for those that find success in mediocrity.

Booker T. Washington never blames slavery for his problems. Instead he looks forward to the future, and works hard to create a school that helps
black people.
He has a positive attitude which attracts the help he needs to build his school. We can all learn from Booker T. Washington.
Very inspiring.
I loved this book.

I read this book, here in Ceará, a state of Brazil.Even being an agronomist, I love to read books.This book is 100% available for free reading, on internet.This book was writen about 100 years ago, by an african-american , Booker T. Washington.

Born in a slum, having as his mother, a black slave, as a child, Booker T. Washington became free.His father was a white man, and never recognized or create him.In fact, Booker T. Washington had a bitter childhood.Having a childhood cored in poverty, racism, prejudices, ignorance and hard labor; instead of becaming a neurotic, Booker T. Washington became a leader and teaching example for african-americans of his times.In fact many lessons of this book continuos to be usefull for every time, race or place.

If you go to all my reviews that I writen before, just one autobiography that I gave five stars was, "World of Yesterday" by Stephan Zweig.To be sincere in an autobiography is very, very rare.One problem of this autobiography, is again his lack of sincerity.The author was writing about 100 years ago, and perhaps he couldn't tells us, what he was really thinking.

To example, Booker T. never claims that segregation, racism/eugenics is/were by definition, bad.In fact, there's many good claims to some knowed eugenicists/racists at that times.The bitter author's childhood (a nightmare childhood), has very little space in this book.In fact, the sucess of Booker T. in education affairs has, big space in this book.Too much space, I think.If we were in 1906, I'll be giving five stars to this book.Being unsincere and having by today standards, some absurds, this book isn't useless, but we aren't in 1906.

This is an excellent book. I am amazed by the insight and intelligence of Mr. Washington. He created a very powerful legacy. The autobiography shows the desire, of a man fresh from slavery, to succeed and in turn help others do the same. Many of his thoughts are applicable today. Throughout the book, he emphasizes the need to use one's talents and abilities to increase prosperity for not only the current generation but also for the next one. This is a necessary read for anyone desiring success and especially for those that find success in mediocrity.

Booker T. Washington never blames slavery for his problems. Instead he looks forward to the future, and works hard to create a school that helps
black people.
He has a positive attitude which attracts the help he needs to build his school. We can all learn from Booker T. Washington.
Very inspiring.
I loved this book.

I read this book, here in Ceará, a state of Brazil.Even being an agronomist, I love to read books.This book is 100% available for free reading, on internet.This book was writen about 100 years ago, by an african-american , Booker T. Washington.

Born in a slum, having as his mother, a black slave, as a child, Booker T. Washington became free.His father was a white man, and never recognized or create him.In fact, Booker T. Washington had a bitter childhood.Having a childhood cored in poverty, racism, prejudices, ignorance and hard labor; instead of becaming a neurotic, Booker T. Washington became a leader and teaching example for african-americans of his times.In fact many lessons of this book continuos to be usefull for every time, race or place.

If you go to all my reviews that I writen before, just one autobiography that I gave five stars was, "World of Yesterday" by Stephan Zweig.To be sincere in an autobiography is very, very rare.One problem of this autobiography, is again his lack of sincerity.The author was writing about 100 years ago, and perhaps he couldn't tells us, what he was really thinking.

To example, Booker T. never claims that segregation, racism/eugenics is/were by definition, bad.In fact, there's many good claims to some knowed eugenicists/racists at that times.The bitter author's childhood (a nightmare childhood), has very little space in this book.In fact, the sucess of Booker T. in education affairs has, big space in this book.Too much space, I think.If we were in 1906, I'll be giving five stars to this book.Being unsincere and having by today standards, some absurds, this book isn't useless, but we aren't in 1906.

I thought this was supposed to be an autobiography! All he talks about is his school. He mentions his wife and kids only once or twice. I got the impression that he was a very selfish man. Plus, to top it off, the book was boring!

It is an historical classic about a uniquely American story. The book takes you into the minds and homes of recently emancipated persons and follows the vision of one tenacious man to build a school dedicated to realizing their full human potential.

I read Up From Slavery in an African American Lit class, and was totally applauled by it. Washigton is so complaicent, the man was not even angry with white people for four hundred years of slavery. The debate between Washington and WEB DuBois is famous: Wash. wanted black people to forgive and forget and continue to be the southerners work dogs. DuBois wanted the negro race to embrace higher education and follow in the footsteps of wealthy Americans like Rockefeller and Carnegie. Which plan was better for uplifting a race? It depends upon which direction the country was going at the turn of the century.

This book was the most boring book I have ever read. There was no point to the whole book, because all he talked about was his accomplishments and things that other people wrote about him. This book has no suspenseful or interesting parts in it. I feel that no one could ever like this book.

The original. He was kind of cool, but now he ain't; people using his backwardness against us. Forget this dude, or perish. 1896 speech was a total sell out to da man.

Drop ya boots, dawg!!!

It

Wonderfully written book ! I enjoyed it and recommend any one of all races to read this book about a great person who went through a lot to help his own race. Booker T Washington was a man was so very unselfish and dedicated to his purpose on Earth, I believe! Good reading!