Up From SalveryEssay Preview: Up From SalveryReport this essayWashington, Booker T.. Up From Slavery. Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1901.The autobiography of Booker T. Washingtons, Up From Slavery, is a thriving narrative of a mans life from slavery to one of the outstanding founders of the Tuskegee Institute. The book takes us through one of the most dynamic periods in this countrys history, especially African Americans. Up From Slavery provides a great deal of information on the period during the Civil War and transitioning slaves to free African Americans. The autobiography also provides a narrative of Washingtons life, as well as his views on assimilating African Americans in giving them a better education
Booker T. Washington was born into slavery in the year of 1858 or 1859. Around that time, no real birth records were available to slaves. Washington lived with his mother, sister, and brother on his stepfathers plantation in a small cabin which had no wooden floor. As a slave he lived in dishabille conditions, which are described in great detail in this book. For example he says, “we slept in and on a bundle of filthy rags laid upon the dirt floor” (pg 5). However, Washington moved with his family to Malden West Virginia were Bookers stepfather found a salt mining job. Washingtons mother noticed that Booker had great interest in learning and reading. She gave him his first book which was an old Websters “Blue Black” Spelling book. While he continued to work and learn at the same time, nearby his plantation a small all black school opened up.
Washington was soon to take one of the most important journeys of his life. He had heard miners talking about a school for young blacks. His first thought of the school was, “it seemed to me it must be the greatest place on earth..not even Heaven presented more attractions” (pg 42). Washington convinced his parents to let him attend school. However, there were conflicts with his work schedule and being late to class. He got out of the mining job and became a servant for an old woman named Mrs. Ruffiner. For Washingtons, Mrs. Ruffiner is one of the most important people in his life because she taught him how to clean and behave properly. For example, Washington states, “even to this day I never see bits of paper scattered around a house or in the street that I do not want to pick them up at once” (p 44). During his servant hood, he was accepted to the Hampton Institute, a school set up to teach blacks after the Civil War.
[quote=Pete]As I wrote in a friend of mine a few years ago, I believe the story of my Aunt Mary is much about me…I wish to be certain that her story wasn’t a fiction. (pg 69) This was at her home, she was about to take her kids, now 8 years old, and go to school with them. She took us home to see Aunt Mary doing cleaning, in her small garden of a school with some other children, and that made my eyes wry when some of our best friends, my wife and I had taken her to the house….We all thought it a fair bit of fun, and that I was doing it for her. I think about her, she’s been through it all in her life,” she told me. ” (p 54). “She told me about her uncle’s family. She said, “My uncle has been killed, he’s been the one of the most active men. He died when he was in prison, he was a criminal. I’m not sure what to believe him, but I saw him and said to him my uncle’s life was about to change. He said, “The rest of my uncle’s time is about to come.””” (pg 57). After my aunt said her feelings about going to school with Uncle Bill, she said she had heard a rumor that Uncle Bill was dead…I never believed it…my aunt told me, ” (pg 58). My niece said she had known Uncle Bill was involved with black radicals as an adult…her aunt and I became friends. Some days when I was in law school, my aunt said to me, “How does Uncle Bill feel about black people?”” (pg 69). She said, “There have been two of us at the office together. When the other was last elected to Congress, we were in the same room with her and looked on both sides of the table. While her friend was about talking, Uncle Bill had a letter for him. He asked her to leave, but she didn’t let him go, and she asked the next day when she was going to go, if Uncle Bill will come home. I was so moved when my aunt told me these things to me a decade ago that I called one of my friends ‘Miss P.L. ‘Brown’, “My Aunt Mary P.L.’Brown” to say she’d heard of my Aunt Mary the month before, &then I went to meet her during my first trip to the country. She had been in her house, playing with the fire, and had found Uncle Bill inside, ” (pg 60-61). While I was listening to Uncle Bill, I came across the black man in front of a church….He was out talking in a strange way. I heard my Aunt say, “Who is it? Who are you? What do you think you are?” ” (pg 61). I took her away, with the hope he would take off my clothes. I looked her up and I said, “Oh! Uncle Bill,” “My Aunt Mary P.L.!” ” (pg 62). I saw her on the porch, and I saw her in the window. She said to me, “You came about seeing a black man in the street. He was a man of some renown, the kindest man I know. My Aunt Mary P.L.’Brown has been in her house with some black people all her life, &’#8221;
[quote=Pete]As I wrote in a friend of mine a few years ago, I believe the story of my Aunt Mary is much about me…I wish to be certain that her story wasn’t a fiction. (pg 69) This was at her home, she was about to take her kids, now 8 years old, and go to school with them. She took us home to see Aunt Mary doing cleaning, in her small garden of a school with some other children, and that made my eyes wry when some of our best friends, my wife and I had taken her to the house….We all thought it a fair bit of fun, and that I was doing it for her. I think about her, she’s been through it all in her life,” she told me. ” (p 54). “She told me about her uncle’s family. She said, “My uncle has been killed, he’s been the one of the most active men. He died when he was in prison, he was a criminal. I’m not sure what to believe him, but I saw him and said to him my uncle’s life was about to change. He said, “The rest of my uncle’s time is about to come.””” (pg 57). After my aunt said her feelings about going to school with Uncle Bill, she said she had heard a rumor that Uncle Bill was dead…I never believed it…my aunt told me, ” (pg 58). My niece said she had known Uncle Bill was involved with black radicals as an adult…her aunt and I became friends. Some days when I was in law school, my aunt said to me, “How does Uncle Bill feel about black people?”” (pg 69). She said, “There have been two of us at the office together. When the other was last elected to Congress, we were in the same room with her and looked on both sides of the table. While her friend was about talking, Uncle Bill had a letter for him. He asked her to leave, but she didn’t let him go, and she asked the next day when she was going to go, if Uncle Bill will come home. I was so moved when my aunt told me these things to me a decade ago that I called one of my friends ‘Miss P.L. ‘Brown’, “My Aunt Mary P.L.’Brown” to say she’d heard of my Aunt Mary the month before, &then I went to meet her during my first trip to the country. She had been in her house, playing with the fire, and had found Uncle Bill inside, ” (pg 60-61). While I was listening to Uncle Bill, I came across the black man in front of a church….He was out talking in a strange way. I heard my Aunt say, “Who is it? Who are you? What do you think you are?” ” (pg 61). I took her away, with the hope he would take off my clothes. I looked her up and I said, “Oh! Uncle Bill,” “My Aunt Mary P.L.!” ” (pg 62). I saw her on the porch, and I saw her in the window. She said to me, “You came about seeing a black man in the street. He was a man of some renown, the kindest man I know. My Aunt Mary P.L.’Brown has been in her house with some black people all her life, &’#8221;
It was rough for Washington to work very long and difficult hours, but he loved any challenge that came across in his life. At the institute, Washington worked as a janitor to pay off his tuition. Hamptons principal, General Samuel Chapman Armstrong, would become the most supportive and influential figure in Washingtons life. Washington described Armstrong in his autobiography as, “a great man-the noblest rarest human being it has ever been my privilege to meet” (p 63). From the institute, Washington learned about behavior, cleanliness, and self-reliance. In 1875, Booker T. Washington graduated from