Booker T. Washington

Up from Slavery Booker T. Washington

First published in 1901, Up From Slavery is one of the classic books from the era of American slavery. In it, Booker T. Washington details his rise from a child born into slavery to a free man with a college education. He offers readers his views on the future of blacks in America, charting a course for their development that starts with an education in practical trades. By proving themselves to be important parts of society, he believed they would be granted civil rights without a bloody struggle. Students of history will find this an essential read from the dawning of the civil rights struggle in America. American author BOOKER T. WASHINGTON (1856-1915) was born to a white father and black slave mother in Virginia. His Atlanta Address of 1895 brought him great acclaim, and for the rest of his life he remained a respected figure in the African American community. Among his most influential writings is an article for Atlantic Monthly called "The Awakening of the Negro" (1896).