Up From Slavery

Upon its publication in 1901, Up From Slavery became one of the most significant books ever written by an African American.

As one of a handful of classic American autobiographies, its place in history is assured.

Booker T. Washington, orator and educator, emerged from slavery in the deep south, to work for the betterment of African Americans in the post Reconstruction period.

Washington reveals his innermost thoughts as he transitions from ex-slave to teacher and founder of one of the most important schools for African Americans in the south, The Tuskegee Industrial Institute.

Washington's words are both subtle and profound.

He imparts 'pearls of wisdom' throughout, as he details his slow and steady rise from a slave child during the Civil War, to the obstacles he overcame to get an education at university, and from there to his work establishing vocational schools (most notably Tuskegee Institute in Alabama), to help black people learn useful, marketable skills and work to pull themselves up by the bootstraps.

Students of history will find this an essential read from the dawning of the civil rights struggle in America.

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 national 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).

"Washington's story of himself, is one America's most revealing books"

-Langston Hughes

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