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Up from Slavery is an autobiography written by Booker T. Washington, an African American educator, author, and advisor to presidents of the United States. The book was first published in 1901 and provides a firsthand account of Washington's life, from his childhood in slavery to his rise as a prominent and influential figure in American history.
One of the key themes of Up from Slavery is Washington's philosophy of industrial education and vocational training as a means for African Americans to achieve economic independence and social progress. The book also offers valuable insights into the social and political climate of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States.
This new large print edition is designed to make reading comfortable.
Booker T. Washington (April 18, 1856 - November 14, 1915) was an African American educator, leader, author and orator and was an adviser to several US presidents. He was born into slavery on a plantation in Virginia, remembering
I cannot recall a single instance during my childhood or early boyhood when our entire family sat down to the table together. On the plantation in Virginia, and even later, meals were gotten to the children very much as dumb animals get theirs... a piece of bread here and a scrap of meat there.
He was nine when his family gained their emancipation and he describes the rejoicing and the apprehension as freed slaves entered a new life. His mother took the family to the free state of West Virginia. The only name he had known was Booker, but at school, when first asked his name by the teacher, he coolly added Washington to be like the other children who had at least two names. This established him on a path of fitting into the white world.
In the course of his life he established the Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University, helped found the National Negro Business League, now eclipsed by the NAACP, and advised several US presidents. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African American community and of the contemporary Black elite. He established a powerful political and financial network to advance the cause of African Americans through education and business known as the Tuskegee Machine.
Up from Slavery chronicles Washington's life from slave to schoolmaster to statesman. It was a best seller when published and for many years thereafter. In it he writes
The temptations to enter political life were so alluring that I came very near yielding to them at one time, but I was kept from doing so by the feeling that I would be helping in a more substantial way ... through a generous education of the hand, head, and heart.
Up from Slavery along with Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and du Bois's Souls of Black Folk are essential early African-American classics. This edition, set in an easy to read 11 point font, is complete and unabridged.
In this 3 in 1 collection, we united three books by Washington including Washington's most known book, Up from Slavery, and a small fourth one. The other books included are The Negro Problem, a collection of essays by prominent black American writers, The Future of the American Negro, and a short text about the history of slavery (originally The Story of Slavery), which was included as an appendix.
Here are six historic essays on the state of race relations during the Reconstruction and early twentieth century, written from the African American point of view. These essays show us how far race relations have progressed, and sadly how far we have yet to go. Included are Industrial Education for the Negro by Booker T. Washington, The Talented Tenth by W.E. Burghardt DuBois, The Disfranchisement of the Negro by Charles W. Chesnutt, The Negro and the Law by Wilford H. Smith, The Characteristics of the Negro People by H.T. Kealing, and Representative American Negroes by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
In this 3 in 1 collection, we united three books by Washington including Washington's most known book, Up from Slavery, and a small fourth one. The other books included are The Negro Problem, a collection of essays by prominent black American writers, The Future of the American Negro, and a short text about the history of slavery (originally The Story of Slavery), which was included as an appendix.
Born into slavery. First leader of the Tuskegee Institute. Political advisor to Presidents. This is his voice. This is his story.
I have begun everything with the idea that I could succeed, and I never had much patience with the multitudes of people who are always ready to explain why one cannot succeed, states Washington.
Read of his inspirational life in this unabridged, affordable printed volume.
A compilation of more than 30 addresses from Booker T. Washington explaining the importance of personal responsibility, self-reflection and economic independence in the Black community. Character Building is an inspiring series of anecdotes that speak to the issues of his contemporary audience.
Booker T. Washington was a strong supporter of education and entrepreneurship among African Americans. He believed a degree or certification could provide access and elevate one's social and economic status. In Character Building, he provides his basic tenets of success that are rooted in individual behavior. He encourages productivity and the need for a positive home life. To succeed, each person's environment must be conducive to their goals.
Washington's life-long mission was to inspire and uplift the most vulnerable in his community. In Character Building he discusses the many tools that can be used to change a person's station. It's an open declaration of the core beliefs that helped shaped his life.
With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Character Building is both modern and readable.