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Up from slavery an autobiography

"In 1856, Washington was born into a family of slaves in Virginia. From there it seemed that his fate had been sealed -- to live out his life as a worker in Virginia. But, this was not the case for Washington, whose impoverished childhood and undying desire for education fueled him into a dedicated...

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Main Author: Washington, Booker T., 1856-1915
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: New York : Skyhorse Pub Co. Inc., 2015.
Subjects:
Washington, Booker T., > 1856-1915.
Tuskegee Institute.
Freedmen > United States > Biography.
African American educators > Biography.
Educators > United States > Biography.
Slaves' writings, American.
Autobiographies.
Biographies.
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Summary:"In 1856, Washington was born into a family of slaves in Virginia. From there it seemed that his fate had been sealed -- to live out his life as a worker in Virginia. But, this was not the case for Washington, whose impoverished childhood and undying desire for education fueled him into a dedicated obsession with the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute until he found himself enrolled at the school itself. As an educated man, Booker T. Washington rose to power with his views on civil rights. Washington's belief in education as well as trade skills for African Americans brought followers, and opposition, from all around. In Up from Slavery, all of Washington's trials and tribulations are laid out on the page, with nothing left unsaid. Booker T. Washington wrote Up from Slavery over the course of many years in post-Civil War America. It not only contains articles originally published in Outlook magazine, but autobiographical anecdotes as well, which were written throughout Washington's travels in the south."--From publisher's website.
Physical Description:330 pages ; 21 cm.
ISBN:9781632202840
1632202840
Author Notes:Booker Taliaferro Washington, 1856 - 1915 Booker T. Washington was born a slave in Hales Ford, Virginia, near Roanoke. After the U.S. government freed all slaves in 1865, his family moved to Malden, West Virginia. There, Washington worked in coal mines and salt furnaces. He went on to attend the Hampton, Virginia Normal and Agricultural Institute from 1872-1875 before joining the staff in 1879. In 1881 he was selected to head the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, a new teacher-training school for blacks, which he transformed into a thriving institution, later named Tuskegee University. His controversial conviction that blacks could best gain equality in the U.S. by improving their economic situation through education rather than by demanding equal rights was termed the Atlanta Compromise, because Washington accepted inequality and segregation for blacks in exchange for economic advancement.

Washington advised two Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, on racial problems and policies, as well as influencing the appointment of several blacks to federal offices. Washington became a shrewd political leader and advised not only Presidents, but also members of Congress and governors. He urged wealthy people to contribute to various black organizations. He also owned or financially supported many black newspapers. In 1900, Washington founded the National Negro Business League to help black business firms.

Washington fought silently for equal rights, but was eventually usurped by those who ideas were more radical and demanded more action. Washington was replaced by W. E. B. Du Bois as the foremost black leader of the time, after having spent long years listening to Du Bois deride him for his placation of the white man and the plight of the negro. He died in 1915.

(Bowker Author Biography)

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