Up from Slavery: An Autobiography

By Booker T. Washington

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time

The Black educator documents his struggle for freedom and self-respect and his fight to establish industrial training programs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 11, 1999
• ISBN: 9780679640165

Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington (1856–1915) was a prominent figure in the African American community and a champion of higher education. He was born into slavery and obtained freedom shortly after the Emancipation Proclamation. As a child, he worked manual jobs to help support his family, but aspired to receive a formal education. He enrolled in Hampton Normal Agricultural Institute in Virginia and thrived as a student. After graduating, Washington embarked on a career as a lecturer and leader of the Tuskegee Institute. He also worked as a political advisor to presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft.

Reviews for Up from Slavery

[jvioland_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An autobiography of the once popular Washington. Today, he has lost favor. He is judged by today's standards, but during his life, he had little alternative than to promote the black American in the manner he did. He established schools to educate former slaves and to place the graduates in occupations without any resort to violence. A Great American.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An autobiography of a man who began his life in slavery and ended it as one of the most respected men in our nation. I wish his ideas on education were taken more to heart. He believed in educating the whole man/woman, not just their mind. He felt it was important that the student work at a craft or skill along with their studies, so that when they were finished, they would always have the ability to earn their living and contribute to their community, not just intelligence, but honest and needed labor. The thought being that since they had been forced for generations to give their labor to benefit others, labor in itself became evil to them. Washington wanted the students to see that labor was good and honorable, and education to go with it meant true freedom from bondage. It seems a good plan for all high school students to me.Mr. Washington was a great optimist, and believed the best of people, in some ways this book made me sad to think how far short of his ideals we have all come. But in other ways, we've come a long way, baby. Although some of his thinking seems outdated, and impractical and even wrong to us now, it is good to read it. He wrote this having lived through the worst of times, and was trying to work out how to make life better for his race and race relations better. We haven't solved that one yet, but always we forge on.For the educational theories alone, this book was a worthy and important read to me, but the history, the story and the man made it fascinating from start to finish.

[virginiagill · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book caught my eye because the high school I went to was named for Mr Washington, I'm so glad it did. I loved the chance to learn more about the man and to get a glimpse inside his character. It's a book I know I will wander through again and again.

[ohernaes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Booker T. Washington was born into slavery in 1856. He lived as a slave until the end of the civil war in 1865, when his family was freed. He was determined to learn how to read and managed to obtain an education at the Hampton Institute, Virginia. A strong advocate of the importance of education for the black race. Apparently there were tensions between this approach and the more confrontational tone of many others in the black political community, but this is not something that is mentioned specifically in the book. Washington stressed the importance of learning a trade to become an integrated and valued member of society, and worked as an educator for most of his life, heading the Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, from 1881 until his death in 1915.

[elpaca · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Obviously written for a specific audience, wealthy, altruistic white people who would help fund Tuskeegee. A great man, a a great idea in its historic time. Should be read along with his contemporaries who presented a more explicit view of slavery in the colonies and later the US, economically founded by that institution.

[deanc_35 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Booker T. Washington published this, his second, autobiography, in 1901 at age 45. It is a fascinating account of his childhood slavery, emancipation, education, and rise to prominence as a college educator and highly acclaimed African American leader. This is one book I had a hard time putting down. It reveals a man deeply committed to helping African Americans in post-Reconstruction America earn respect based on their skillful work and valuable contributions to society. A quote from the book seems to summarize Washington’s personal philosophy: “I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” He believed that striving for excellence and working cooperatively with all people, regardless of ethnicity or station, was the key to the black man winning his rightful place in the world.It is recommended reading for those wishing to broaden their understanding of and appreciation for African American history, post-Civil War race relations, or the history of higher education in America. The Penguin Classics edition has an index, endnotes (18 in all), and an interesting introduction by historian and Washington biographer Louis R. Harlan.

[missbrandysue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Booker T. Washington writes his own story of rising from a slave to being honored with a Harvard distinguished honor degree. His autobiography shares the many struggles he endured as he worked to make Tuskegee University a top college for the education of African Americans when there were no schools for them really. This is a truly touching story. The beginning of the book was very moving and emotional as he speaks of struggling to get an education as an African American boy. Though dry at time, and almost annoyingly optimistic there were some really nice inspirational quotes in the book that I was able to note (highlight and such). I hope to read again and take down a lot more of his positive work ethic.

[whitewavedarling · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a historical document, this is an impressive achievement with Washington's regular integration of statistics, news reviews, and speeches, along with his multiple brushes with historical figures such as U.S. Presidents. At the same time, whether a reader is familiar with the questions of the book's history or not, his voice doesn't come across as all-together candid. It feels formed, tailored to the subject and intent instead of the truth. I can't say that I blame the author considering his need to raise funds for projects at Tuskegee, but at the same time, it takes a great deal out of the pleasure I normally find in reading an autobiography. The language is undoubtedly graceful and telling of interesting subjects, but some of the flavor and anecdote I'd normally expect of autobiography just wasn't there. I recommend the autobiography to anyone interested in the raising of institutions, Tuskegee or others, or those interested in Washington himself, but I wouldn't recommend this probably to someone who is just generally an avid reader of autobiography. In the end, I just wanted more--more honesty, more fault, more specifics. It felt as if this was, simply, too perfectly formed and executed toward Washington's purpose of the time, so dating the text on some level.

[touchthesky_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Incredibly inspiring. I'm so glad that I was able to read this! I probably wouldn't have bothered to pick it up, if it wasn't for my college level American History class. It's a shame this isn't mandatory reading!

[daniellat_22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Not only is it a very insightful look at our country's history from a first hand experience, but such a power tool for personal development that I would label this book as a must read for everyone. Adults and kids alike can learn from Washington's reminisces. He shows us how anyone can start at the very bottom and grow into developing themselves into a more cultured, caring and productive member of society. I was deeply impressed by how he noted that the more fortunate members of a society may be severely lacking in will power and determination, and how those factors are much more relevant to one's success than education and wealth. In essence, he is suggesting that we can obtain the latter by having proper personal attributes, but that no matter of wealth and education can ever help a person if he cannot help himself.

[missboyer3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Up From Slavery" is an autobiography of Booker T. Washington s life and work, which has been the source of inspiration for all Americans. Washington reveals his inner most thoughts as he transitions from ex-slave to teacher and founder of one of the most important schools for African Americans in the south, The Tuskegee Industrial Institute.Booker T. Washington s words are profound. Washington includes the address he gave at the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition in 1895, which made him a national figure. He imparts gems of wisdom throughout the book, which are relevant to Americans who aspire to achieve great attainments in life.

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Preface, by William Andrews, a scholar of African-American literature, called the 1901 autobiography Up From Slavery "one of the few African-American texts that can be legitimately termed a classic" and its subject, Booker T. Washington, "one of the most controversial figures in African-American history." Some months ago I read the landmark 1952 novel of African-American literature by Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man. One of the characters, Bledsoe, is famously based upon Booker T. Washington, and the portrayal is scathing enough to strip paint. Washington has a reputation among some as an "Uncle Tom" and his vision famously conflicted with that of W.E.B. Du Bois. The Preface notes that Du Bois' critique "Of Booker T. Washington and Others" in the 1903 The Souls of Black Folk. signaled the beginning of the split on Washington within the African-American community and says that in Up From Slavery Washington wore a "minstrel mask."I can understand why some respond negatively to the man. At one point, Washington claimed that "the black man got nearly as much out of slavery as the white man." In context though, it's clear he means rather Southern whites were also damaged by the institution--that slavery eroded the work ethic in the South, so that manual labor became something slaves did and was looked upon with derision. Washington also claimed at one point that the very experience of slavery had left American blacks stronger "materially, intellectually, morally and religiously" than their African brethren. He seemed to be protesting too much in constantly insisting on the good relations between black and white Southerners. (At one point claiming the Ku Klux Klan was extinct. Admittedly, I once watched a documentary that noted the organization was in fact greatly diminished after Reconstruction--they'd have a resurgence a decade or so later after the book's publication.) And the praise of his Northern white benefactors seemed a bit...fulsome--and shameless name-dropping. (Of course, probably hits me that way partly because it was the style of the times--this is the Victorian Era after all.) But over the course of the book, that did wear at me. Of course, I do understand Washington was trying to influence a white audience in a time of eroding civil rights (thus the supposed "minstrel mask"). And never, ever did I get the impression either that Washington thought blacks weren't the equal of whites morally, socially or intellectually or that they should not be legally. It's clear Washington thought both slavery and segregation deeply immoral--even if at times I can understand why Du Bois said Washington pursued "an accommodationist strategy." In his famous Atlanta Exposition Address--which Du Bois called the "Atlanta Compromise," Washington, to the applause of white Southerners, said "in all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress." It's hard to disagree with Du Bois who saw Washington as ceding too much in rejecting political power and not insisting on equal civil rights--and irked at his sometimes anti-intellectualism in his insistence of an "industrial" (think vocational) education over a liberal arts higher education.That's not to say that I don't think there isn't some value in what Washington has to say and what he accomplished. Du Bois wanted to depend on the training up the "talented tenth" into an intellectual elite and saw political power as key to gaining equal civil rights. Washington argued for economic power through self-reliance, a strong work ethic, and practical vocational education. This isn't just a black issue. I can see echoes of this argument today in contemporary debates on poverty and education. And I can understand why after witnessing the transient and seemingly futile period of black office-holding after Reconstruction, Washington might feel the political route was premature and unreliable as a way of progress. And with the Tuskegee Institute situated right in Alabama, Washington was right in the belly of the beast--in the heart of the once slave-holding Confederacy. He may have felt in conceding on civil rights (if concede he did) he wasn't giving up anything within his reach.Beyond the political issues, this is at times a fascinating piece of history, particularly in the first 50 pages or so of the 146-page book dealing with the young Washington and his memories of slavery and the Reconstruction Era and his efforts to gain an education. The first paragraph reminded me of the opening of Frederick Douglas' slave narrative. Like Douglas, Washington didn't know his own date of birth. Douglas explained that was something slave owners deliberately tried to deny slaves. Also like Douglas, Washington heard rumors his father was white but didn't know him personally. Washington's lifetime took him from slavery to the Civil War through Reconstruction to Jim Crow. It's more later on, when he started to relate the building of the Tuskegee Institute that something about Washington's style started to grate on me, and much of the account began to be tedious. (Goodness, you wouldn't believe Washington's ode to the toothbrush!) Which is a shame, because as William Andrews noted, this is the story of "a former slave who became the most powerful African-American of this era." He started Tuskegee Institute from a "shanty" and a "hen house" and from it built a great American educational institution. But something felt lacking, absent. Maybe Washington himself. There seemed little introspection or humor or even anything really personal at all in his voice. I get why Andrews feels Washington wore a mask, and it takes close reading and outside information to get it to slip a bit to see the complex man underneath. That's where I did find this Norton Critical Edition, which included essays on Washington, including the famous critique by Du Bois, invaluable. It makes rating this book difficult. I do feel this is worth reading as a piece of history--but as a biography it left me feeling decidedly ambivalent.

[bryndahlquis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting and well-written. Booker T. Washington quickly became one of my favorite historical figures as I read this autobiography, and he certainly has my respect. I would've liked to meet him.But this book has made me curious about several things, rather than informing me about them. It seems that Mr. Washington had three wives -- but he never really says much about what happened to any of them. He seems to talk a lot about lots of things, and yet, I don't feel quite as if I know much about him. I guess I'll have to do some more research.