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Up　From　Slavery：　An　Autobiography

by　Booker　T。　Washington






Up　From　Slavery：　An　Autobiography　by　Booker　T。　Washington


This　volume　is　dedicated　to　my　Wife　Margaret　James　Washington　And　to　my　Brother　John　H。　Washington　Whose　patience；　fidelity；　and　hard　work　have　gone　far　to　make　the　work　at　Tuskegee　successful。


Preface

This　volume　is　the　outgrowth　of　a　series　of　articles；　dealing　with　incidents　in　my　life；　which　were　published　consecutively　in　the　Outlook。　While　they　were　appearing　in　that　magazine　I　was　constantly　surprised　at　the　number　of　requests　which　came　to　me　from　all　parts　of　the　country；　asking　that　the　articles　be　permanently　preserved　in　book　form。　I　am　most　grateful　to　the　Outlook　for　permission　to　gratify　these　requests。

I　have　tried　to　tell　a　simple；　straightforward　story；　with　no　attempt　at　embellishment。　My　regret　is　that　what　I　have　attempted　to　do　has　been　done　so　imperfectly。　The　greater　part　of　my　time　and　strength　is　required　for　the　executive　work　connected　with　the　Tuskegee　Normal　and　Industrial　Institute；　and　in　securing　the　money　necessary　for　the　support　of　the　institution。　Much　of　what　I　have　said　has　been　written　on　board　trains；　or　at　hotels　or　railroad　stations　while　I　have　been　waiting　for　trains；　or　during　the　moments　that　I　could　spare　from　my　work　while　at　Tuskegee。　Without　the　painstaking　and　generous　assistance　of　Mr。　Max　Bennett　Thrasher　I　could　not　have　succeeded　in　any　satisfactory　degree。



Introduction

The　details　of　Mr。　Washington's　early　life；　as　frankly　set　down　in　〃Up　from　Slavery；〃　do　not　give　quite　a　whole　view　of　his　education。　He　had　the　training　that　a　coloured　youth　receives　at　Hampton；　which；　indeed；　the　autobiography　does　explain。　But　the　reader　does　not　get　his　intellectual　pedigree；　for　Mr。　Washington　himself；　perhaps；　does　not　as　clearly　understand　it　as　another　man　might。　The　truth　is　he　had　a　training　during　the　most　impressionable　period　of　his　life　that　was　very　extraordinary；　such　a　training　as　few　men　of　his　generation　have　had。　To　see　its　full　meaning　one　must　start　in　the　Hawaiian　Islands　half　a　century　or　more　ago。*　There　Samuel　Armstrong；　a　youth　of　missionary　parents；　earned　enough　money　to　pay　his　expenses　at　an　American　college。　Equipped　with　this　small　sum　and　the　earnestness　that　the　undertaking　implied；　he　came　to　Williams　College　when　Dr。　Mark　Hopkins　was　president。　Williams　College　had　many　good　things　for　youth　in　that　day；　as　it　has　in　this；　but　the　greatest　was　the　strong　personality　of　its　famous　president。　Every　student　does　not　profit　by　a　great　teacher；　but　perhaps　no　young　man　ever　came　under　the　influence　of　Dr。　Hopkins；　whose　whole　nature　was　so　ripe　for　profit　by　such　an　experience　as　young　Armstrong。　He　lived　in　the　family　of　President　Hopkins；　and　thus　had　a　training　that　was　wholly　out　of　the　common；　and　this　training　had　much　to　do　with　the　development　of　his　own　strong　character；　whose　originality　and　force　we　are　only　beginning　to　appreciate。

*　For　this　interesting　view　of　Mr。　Washington's　education；　I　am　indebted　to　Robert　C。　Ogden；　Esq。；　Chairman　of　the　Board　of　Trustees　of　Hampton　Institute　and　the　intimate　friend　of　General　Armstrong　during　the　whole　period　of　his　educational　work。

In　turn；　Samuel　Armstrong；　the　founder　of　Hampton　Institute；　took　up　his　work　as　a　trainer　of　youth。　He　had　very　raw　material；　and　doubtless　most　of　his　pupils　failed　to　get　the　greatest　lessons　from　him；　but；　as　he　had　been　a　peculiarly　receptive　pupil　of　Dr。　Hopkins；　so　Booker　Washington　became　a　peculiarly　receptive　pupil　of　his。　To　the　formation　of　Mr。　Washington's　character；　then；　went　the　missionary　zeal　of　New　England；　influenced　by　one　of　the　strongest　personalities　in　modern　education；　and　the　wide…reaching　moral　earnestness　of　General　Armstrong　himself　These　influences　are　easily　recognizable　in　Mr。　Washington　to…day　by　men　who　knew　Dr。　Hopkins　and　General　Armstrong。

I　got　the　cue　to　Mr。　Washington's　character　from　a　very　simple　incident　many　years　ago。　I　had　never　seen　him；　and　I　knew　little　about　him；　except　that　he　was　the　head　of　a　school　at　Tuskegee；　Alabama。　I　had　occasion　to　write　to　him；　and　I　addressed　him　as　〃The　Rev。　Booker　T。　Washington。〃　In　his　reply　there　was　no　mention　of　my　addressing　him　as　a　clergyman。　But　when　I　had　occasion　to　write　to　him　again；　and　persisted　in　making　him　a　preacher；　his　second　letter　brought　a　postscript：　〃I　have　no　claim　to　'Rev。'〃　I　knew　most　of　the　coloured　men　who　at　that　time　had　become　prominent　as　leaders　of　their　race；　but　I　had　not　then　known　one　who　was　neither　a　politician　nor　a　preacher；　and　I　had　not　heard　of　the　head　of　an　important　coloured　school　who　was　not　a　preacher。　〃A　new　kind　of　man　in　the　coloured　world；〃　I　said　to　myself〃a　new　kind　of　man　surely　if　he　looks　upon　his　task　as　an　economic　one　instead　of　a　theological　one。〃　I　wrote　him　an　apology　for　mistaking　him　for　a　preacher。

The　first　time　that　I　went　to　Tuskegee　I　was　asked　to　make　an　address　to　the　school　on　Sunday　evening。　I　sat　upon　the　platform　of　the　large　chapel　and　looked　forth　on　a　thousand　coloured　faces；　and　the　choir　of　a　hundred　or　more　behind　me　sang　a　familiar　religious　melody；　and　the　whole　company　joined　in　the　chorus　with　unction。　I　was　the　only　white　man　under　the　roof；　and　the　scene　and　the　songs　made　an　impression　on　me　that　I　shall　never　forget。　Mr。　Washington　arose　and　asked　them　to　sing　one　after　another　of　the　old　melodies　that　I　had　heard　all　my　life；　but　I　had　never　before　heard　them　sung　by　a　thousand　voices　nor　by　the　voices　of　educated　Negroes。　I　had　associated　them　with　the　Negro　of　the　past；　not　with　the　Negro　who　was　struggling　upward。　They　brought　to　my　mind　the　plantation；　the　cabin；　the　slave；　not　the　freedman　in　quest　of　education。　But　on　the　plantation　and　in　the　cabin　they　had　never　been　sung　as　these　thousand　students　sang　them。　I　saw　again　all　the　old　plantations　that　I　had　ever　seen；　the　whole　history　of　the　Negro　ran　through　my　mind；　and　the　inexpressible　pathos　of　his　life　found　expression　in　these　songs　as　I　had　never　before　felt　it。

And　the　future？　These　were　the　ambitious　youths　of　the　race；　at　work　with　an　earnestness　that　put　to　shame　the　conventional　student　life　of　most　educational　institutions。　Another　song　rolled　up　along　the　rafters。　And　as　soon　as　silence　came；　I　found　myself　in　front　of　this　extraordinary　mass　of　faces；　thinking　not　of　them；　but　of　that　long　and　unhappy　chapter　in　our　country's　history　which　followed　the　one　great　structural　mistake　of　the　Fathers　of　the　Republic；　thinking　of　the　one　continuous　great　problem　that　generations　of　statesmen　had　wrangled　over；　and　a　million　men　fought　about；　and　that　had　so　dwarfed　the　mass　of　English　men　in　the　Southern　States　as　to　hold　them　back　a　hundred　years　behind　their　fellows　in　every　other　part　of　the　worldin　England；　in　Australia；　and　in　the　Northern　and　Western　States；　I　was　thinking　of　this　dark　shadow　that　had　oppressed　every　large…minded　statesman　from　Jefferson　to　Lincoln。　These　thousand　young　men　and　women　about　me　were　victims　of　it。　I；　too；　was　an　innocent　victim　of　it。　The　whole　Republic　was　a　victim　of　that　fundamental　error　of　importing　Africa　into　America。　I　held　firmly　to　the　first　article　of　my　faith　that　the　Republic　must　stand　fast　by　the　principle　of　a　fair　ballot；　but　I　recalled　the　wretched　mess　that　Reconstruction　had　made　of　it；　I　recalled　the　low　level　of　public　life　in　all　the　〃black〃　States。　Every　effort　of　philanthropy　seemed　to　have　miscarried；　every　effort　at　correcting　abuses　seemed　of　doubtful　value；　and　the　race　friction　seemed　to　become　severer。　Here　was　the　century…old　problem　in　all　its　pathos　seated　singing　before　me。　Who　were　the　more　to　be　pitiedthese　innocent　victims　of　an　ancient　wrong；　or　I　and　men　like　me；　who　had　inherited　the　problem？　I　had　long　ago　thrown　aside　illusions　and　theories；　and　was　willing　to　meet　the　facts　face　to　face；　and　to　do　whatever　in　God's　name　a　man　might　do　towards　saving　the　next　generation　from　such　a　burden。　But　I　felt　the　weight　of　twenty　well…nigh　hopeless　years　of　thought　and　reading　and　observation；　for　the　old　difficulties　remained　and　new　ones　had　sprung　up。　Then　I　saw　clearly　that　the　way　out　of　a　century　of　blunders　had　been　made　by　this　man　who　stood　beside　me　and　was　introducing　me　to　this　audience。　Before　me　was　the　material　he　had　used。　All　about　me　was　the　indisputable　evidence　that　he　had　found　the　natural　line　of　development。　He　had　shown　the　way。　Time　and　patience　and　encouragement　and　work　would　do　the　rest。

It　was　then　more　clearly　than　ever　before　that　I　understood　the　patriotic　significance　of　Mr。　Washington's　work。　It　is　this　conception　of　it　and　of　him　that　I　have　ever　since　carried　with　me。　It　is　on　this　that　his　claim　to　our　gratitude　rests。

To　teach　the　Negro　to　read；　whether　English；　or　Greek；　or　Hebrew；　butters　no　parsnips。　To　make　the　Negro　work；　that　is　what　his　master　did　in　one　way　and　hunger　has　done　in　another；　yet　both　these　left　Southern　life　where　they　found　it。　But　to　teach　the　Negro　to　do　skilful　work；　as　men　of　all　the　races　that　have　risen　have　worked；responsible　work；　which　IS　education　and　character；　and　most　of　all　when　Negroes　so　teach　Negroes　to　do　this　that　they　will　teach　others　with　a　missionary　zeal　that　puts　all　ordinary　philanthropic　efforts　to　shame；this　is　to　change　the　whole　economic　basis　of　life　and　the　whole　character　of　a　people。

The　plan　itself　is　not　a　new　one。　It　was　worked　out　at　Hampton　Institute；　but　it　was　done　at　Hampton　by　white　men。　The　plan　had；　in　fact；　been　many　times　theoretically　laid　down　by　thoughtful　students　of　Southern　life。　Handicrafts　were　taught　in　the　days　of　slavery　on　most　well…managed　plantations。　But　Tuskegee　is；　nevertheless；　a　brand…new　chapter　in　the　history　of　the　Negro；　and　in　the　history　of　the　knottiest　problem　we　have　ever　faced。　It　not　only　makes　〃a　carpenter　of　a　man；　it　makes　a　man　of　a　carpenter。〃　In　one　sense；　therefore；　it　is　of　greater　value　than　any　other　institution　for　the　training　of　men　and　women　that　we　have；　from　Cambridge　to　Palo　Alto。　It　is　almost　the　only　one　of　which　it　may　be　said　that　it　points　the　way　to　a　new　epoch　in　a　large　area　of　our　national　life。

To　work　out　the　plan　on　paper；　or　at　a　distancethat　is　one　thing。　For　a　white　man　to　work　it　outthat　too；　is　an　easy　thing。　For　a　coloured　man　to　work　it　out　in　the　South；　where；　in　its　constructive　period；　he　was　necessarily　misunderstood　by　his　own　people　as　well　as　by　the　whites；　and　where　he　had　to　adjust　it　at　every　step　to　the　strained　race　relationsthat　is　so　very　different　and　more　difficult　a　thing　that　the　man　who　did　it　put　the　country　under　lasting　obligations　to　him。

It　was　not　and　is　not　a　mere　educational　task。　Anybody　could　teach　boys　trades　and　give　them　an　elementary　education。　Such　tasks　have　been　done　since　the　beginning　of　civilization。　But　this　task　had　to　be　done　with　the　rawest　of　raw　material；　done　within　the　civilization　of　the　dominant　race；　and　so　done　as　not　to　run　across　race　lines　and　social　lines　that　are　the　strongest　forces　in　the　community。　It　had　to　be　done　for　the　benefit　of　the　whole　community。　It　had　to　be　done；　moreover；　without　local　help；　in　the　face　of　the　direst　poverty；　done　by　begging；　and　done　i