Up from Slavery By Booker T Washington

SummaryDuring his lifetime, Booker T. Washington was a national leader for the betterment of African Americans in the post-Reconstruction South. He advocated for economic and industrial improvement of Blacks while accommodating Whites on voting rights and social equality. This approach, however, died with Washington, and its success prior to 1915 was largely due to Washington's adept method of tailoring his speaking and writing to suit the race of his audience.During the years 1900-1901, Booker T. Washington began publishing Up from Slavery, a serialized account of his life in the popular magazine Outlook, which reached a more diverse audience. This account was then published as a book and in both forms it gained Washington significant White support. In Up from Slavery, Washington traces his journey from slave to educator. The early sections document his childhood as a slave and his efforts to get an education, and he directly credits his education with his later success as a man of action in his community and the nation. Washington details his transition from student to teacher, and outlines his own development as an educator and founder of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. He tells the story of Tuskegee's growth, from classes held in a shantytown to a campus with many new buildings. In the final chapters of Up From Slavery, Washington describes his career as a public speaker and civil rights activist. Washington includes the address he gave at the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition in 1895, which made him a national figure. He concludes his autobiography with an account of several recognitions he has received for his work, including an honorary degree from Harvard, and two significant visits to Tuskegee, one by President McKinley and another by General Samuel C. Armstrong

Up from Slavery chronicles over fifty years of Washington's life: from slave to schoolmaster to the face of southern race relations. In this text, Washington climbs the social ladder through hard, manual labor, a decent education, and relationships with great people. Throughout the text, he stresses the importance of education on the black population as a reasonable tactic to ease race relations in the South. The book is in essence Washington's traditional, non-confrontational message supported by the example of his life.

Plot

Booker Taliaferro Washington  - This person was born a slave just before the Civil War and chose a last name in school. This individual has a thirst for knowledge and, as a young person, worked in salt furnaces and coal mines.General Samuel S. Armstrong - This influential, dedicated person is a source of inspiration to the main character. This individual never ceases to work for the betterment of fellow blacks and is just as interested in helping the poor whites in the South.Miss Mary F. Mackie - This person is a head teacher who offers the main character the position of janitor. This individual's advice and encouragement are always welcomed by the main character.John - The main character's older sibling, this person scrapes together money to support the family and help send the younger sibling to school.Mrs. Ruffner -She was the wife of the owner of the salt mine where Booker worked in Malden, West Virginia. She became a valuable friend who taught him a great deal about cleanliness and the dignity of work when he took a position in her home.

Character Descriptions

Mama - Although unable to read, this person gives the main character a book. To feed the family, this person steals a chicken.

Miss Olivia A. Davidson - Co-teacher with the main character, this person was born and schooled in Ohio but went to the South because of the need for teachers there.

Miss Viola Ruffner - The main character is under this person's employ, earning five dollars a month and getting permission to attend some school.

Fannie M. Smith - This person is the main character's first spouse. They are married in the summer of 1882.

Rev. Robert C. Bedford - This person is the white pastor at a black church in Montgomery, Alabama.

Lewis Adams - This person is a former slave who helps with the establishment of the normal school in Tuskegee and is an expert at shoe making, harness making and tinsmithing.

Mrs. S. Griffitts Morgan - This person from New Bedford, Massachusetts, pays the main character's tuition at Hampton.