Booker T Washington

Booker T. Washington "Up From Slavery" unabridged

During 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. Washington traces his life from his being born a slave to an educator. His writings and speeches, though initially was very influential for his race, later in his life began to be challenged by the new generation of African Americans and died as he did in 1915 with him. In this autobiography of his life, Washington's generalizations and accommodations of the treatment and disregard for the African American by people of the White race was nonchalant, as though he felt that for some reason it was okay or necessary for African Americans to be treated as second class.

As a child Washington recalls what life was like as a slave. Like many slaves he was unaware of neither his exact date a birth nor the year. Unlike many tales that have been told about the lives of slaves, Washington by no means spoke poorly of his life as a child other than being raised in slave quarters. He spoke of the beginning of his life happening during the "most miserable, desolate, and discouraging surroundings", however he made certain to mention that his owners were not "especially cruel" nor responsible for this fact. He describes the lack of knowledge that he had for his family due to the manner in which Africans were brought over. He recalls that his mother's family had suffered greatly on the journey to America from Africa. His description of the lack of knowledge that blacks have of their family is due to the lack there was of family records and the constant separation of husbands and wives and children because with the Africans being considered property there was no reason to keep them together, comparing his race to a cow or a horse that would not have been kept together with its offspring or its mating partner so why should the blacks since they were thought of in the same capacity be treated differently. Washington recounted this lack of family knowledge as both a blessing and a curse. That unlike the white child, who was expected to do certain things because of his family history the black child was not held to that type of challenge. Washington compared the lives of the Negro children and the lives of the white children as them both being enslaved. He considered that the white children who were considered free to be enslaved as well because they were deprived the opportunity to learn a hard days work. He felt as though white children were missing something that would in their lives they would need like the ability to neither master a single trade nor learn the spirit of self reliance and self help. Simple daily chores were not performed by the children of whites on some plantations like for girls to learn to cook, sew, or take care of the house, which in that time was a very important attribute. Washington's recollection of his childhood in slavery made it seem as though he was grateful for his life as a slave, that there were no feelings of hate towards the whites who enslaved him and many others. He spoke of the time after the Civil War that when the slaves had been emancipated how the slaves were initially happy but soon realized that they had nothing and nowhere to go. He also mentioned that several of the blacks once they were free did not want to have to leave the slave quarters, how they requested and made deals with their former slave masters in an effort to stay. Washington discusses his travel from his place of birth in Franklin County, Virginia to Kanawha Valley, West Virginia where his mother's husband had runaway and followed the Federal soldiers to during the War. He discussed how the tediousness and painful undertaking of climbing over mountains in route to West Virginia on foot by both his mother and siblings made them stronger both physically and mentally. That the determination that it provided them he continued to possess and used it to further his aspirations and intentions for his life. The trip itself took several weeks but through several events like finding shelter in an abandoned cabin snakes forced them out, sleeping on the bare ground (though they were accustomed to doing so) without awareness of what may be lurking in the dark they continued on. Unlike what I thought would have taken place when the ex-slaves left their former owners, Washington described it as a "serious occasion", one that hurt as though one had to leave a part of his family behind and venture out on his own. He explains how many ex-slaves kept up with the members of the "family" they left behind speaking of their former owners. Still a child Washington's life changed from enslaved to free to work for little reward. He gave details to why at first his free life was no better than his enslaved one as a child. His description of the home that he and his family lived in once reaching West Virginia was no better than the one they lived in on the plantation. How the cabin on the plantation though it did not provide the best conditions it did exist amidst clean pure air and was not crowded closely together amongst the filth of the neighbors which consisted of colored people and the most ignorant and degrade white people. Fortunately unlike some he, hi brother and his stepfather all had jobs at a salt furnace. During this time Washington's desire to become a student grew he yearned to be able to read and little did anyone know this job at the salt furnace would be his beginning. Through repetitive markings made on barrels at the end of each work day his stepfather's boss would write "18" on his barrels. He recalls how proud he was when he learned to recognize that marking anywhere and how ecstatic he was when he was also able to make it. With no other knowledge of any other letters or numbers he continued to yearn to learn more. With persuasion he convinced his mother to obtain a book and she did. She procured an old copy of "Webster's "blue-back" spelling-book for him and he devoured it. He had overheard someone say that in order to learn to read one would have to learn the alphabet, so without a teacher or any assistance from anyone he taught himself the alphabet over then span of a few weeks he mastered a portion of the alphabet and with his mother's encouragement he was able to continue on to master the entire alphabet. Washington described how excited he was to learn that a colored boy from Ohio had come to Malden, West Virginia where he lived that could read. As strangely as it sounds Washington stated in regards to the young man, "He seems to me to be the one young man in all the world who ought to be satisfied