Booker T. Washingtons Up from Slavery Essay - 1467 Words

The book, Up From Slavery, written by Booker Taliaferro Washington, profoundly touched me when I read it. Washington overcame many obstacles throughout his life. He became perhaps the most prominent black leader of his time. Booker T. Washington belived that African Americans could gain equality by improving their economic situation through education rather than by demanding equal rights. Washington’s life story was told during the mid to late 1800’s into the early 1900’s, in the time when the Emancipation Proclamation had gone into effect. The Emancipation Proclamation was one major event in history that forever changed our country. All slaves were free and had to go find a new place to live and a new place to work.†¦show more content†¦The trip from Franklin county to Malden, West Virginia was the first he had ever taken. The trip took Booker’s family many days because all of them had to walk to whole way. They settled in a very small house with many other black and very poor white neighbors. His step-father soon found work for Booker and his brother John. They worked in the salt furnaces and coal mines. Booker did not want to work he wanted to go to school to learn. A school teacher, Mr. William Davis, came into his community. Booker was eager to attend the school but his step-father was not able to spare me from work, s o could not attend it when it was first opened. Booker would go to work during the day and be taught by a teacher at night. This seemed to be a problem because the teacher his mother hired didn’t know much more then he. After working in the coal mine for some time, his mother found a position for him as a house boy for the Ruffner Family. He went to live with Ruffner’s with many fears and doubts. Mrs. Viola Ruffner had the reputation of being very strict and hard to please. While staying at the Ruffner household Booker learned the exact way to have things; clean, neat, and orderly. Mrs. Ruffner taught him for a few hours in the afternoon. She was his first real teacher that gave him a great part of his education. After being at the Ruffner house for about four years Booker made the decision to attendShow MoreRelatedEssay about Booker T. Washingtons Up From Slavery2557 Words   |  11 PagesBooker T. Washingtons Up From Slavery The autobiography of Booker T. Washing titled Up From Slavery is a rich narrative of the mans life from slavery to one of the founders of the Tuskegee Institute. The book takes us through one of the most dynamic periods in this countrys history, especially African Americans. I am very interested in the period following the Civil War and especially in the transformation of African Americans from slaves to freemen. Up From Slavery provides a great dealRead MoreComparison of Booker T. 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Being born into slavery, it was quite clear that Washington would never amount to much. Knowing this though, did not stop him from dreaming about the many achievements he wanted to accomplish. Washington’s passion to learn is what transformed him into, not a lowly slave, but instead: an educator, a writer and the founder of the Tuskegee Institute. Through these achievements though, Booker T. WashingtonRead MoreThe Aftermath Of The Civil War Essay1413 Words   |  6 PagesThe aftermath of the civil war came a drastic change to the United States, or so some thought. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. In this document, Lincoln outlawed slavery throughout the entire nat ion. African Americans not only believed that after the Emancipation Proclamation they would obtain civil rights, but also they expected to have the basic liberties as their fellow Americans. Subsequently, this was not the case. Caucasians, specifically in the south, still viewedRead MoreUp From Slavery, by Booker T. Washington Essay1140 Words   |  5 PagesBooker T. Washington was a young black male born into the shackles of Southern slavery. With the Union victory in the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, Washington’s family and blacks in the United States found hope in a new opportunity, freedom. Washington saw this freedom as an opportunity to pursue a practical education. Through perseverance and good fortunes, Washington was able to attain that education at Hampton National Institute. At Hampton, his experiences and beliefsRead MoreBooker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois and John Hope Essay1286 Words   |  6 Pagescomplete mess after the Civil War . The early part of the 20th century brought many changes for African Americans. There was a difficult challenge of helping newly free African American slaves assimilate among their white counterparts. They suffered from crop failures, economic hardships, and the early failures of Reconstruction in the south. So as result many Southern African Americans migrated to northern cities in search of employment and a chance at a better life. However, Southern African AmericansRead MoreBooker T.Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois Essay1184 Words   |  5 Pagescreated a tertium quid, and called it a negro† (Du Bois). In the late 19th and 20th centuries a strong push for economic and social progress for African-Americans was being made. The prominent leaders of this movement amongst the Black community were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, however they had very differing views on how to achieve this goal (PBS.org). Washington and Du Bois essentially split the Black community into tw o parties, radical and conservative. Du Bois, the radical, preached forRead MoreThe Five Most Important Ideas in Up from Slavery Essay1006 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Up from Slavery† is an autobiography written by Booker T. Washington. The book mainly talks about Washington’s life and how he had over come a lot of obstacles to reach his success. The book teaches us a lot of things, some of them are still useful today. There are five significant ideas that Booker wanted the readers to learn from his book; these five things are: education, slavery, work, the relationship between two races and the meaning of success. The most obvious and significant idea of