The Story of My Life and Work

by Booker T. Washington

Booker Taliaferro Washington (1856-1915) was an African American political leader, educator and author. He was one of the dominant figures in African American history in the United States from 1890 to 1915. Born into slavery in Franklin County, Virginia, at the age of 9, he was freed and moved with his family to West Virginia, where he learned to read and write while working in manual labor jobs. He later trained as a teacher, and in 1881 was named the first leader of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. He was granted an honorary Masters of Arts degree from Harvard University in 1896 and an honorary Doctorate degree from Dartmouth College in 1901. He received national prominence for his famous Atlanta Address of 1895, attracting the attention of politicians and the public as a popular spokesperson for African American citizens. In addition to the substantial contributions in the field of education, Dr. Washington did much to improve the overall friendship and working relationship between the races in the United States. His autobiography, Up From Slavery, first published in 1901, is still widely read.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Historical

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Booker Taliaferro Washington was an American educator, orator, author and the dominant leader of the African-American community nationwide from the 1890s to his death. Born to slavery and freed by the Civil War in 1865, as a young man, became head of the new Tuskegee Institute, then a teachers' college for blacks. It became his base of operations. His "Atlanta Exposition" speech of 1895 appealed to middle class whites across the South, asking them to give blacks a chance to work and develop separately, while implicitly promising not to demand the vote. White leaders across the North, from politicians to industrialists, from philanthropists to churchmen, enthusiastically supported Washington, as did most middle class blacks. He was the organizer and central figure of a network linking like-minded black leaders throughout the nation and in effect spoke for Black America throughout his lifetime. Meanwhile a more militant northern group, led by W. E. B. Du Bois rejected Washington's self-help and demanded recourse to politics, referring to the speech dismissively as "The Atlanta Compromise". The critics were marginalized until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, at which point more radical black leaders rejected Washington's philosophy and demanded federal civil rights laws.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have so many thoughts about this book... first, the most impressive thing is how Booker T. Washington maintained a calm, level head free of hate during such a difficult time. He argued and made his points in favor of blacks in the South in a clear and compelling way and as a result, was able in many cases to get what he felt was right for blacks. He didn't rely on emotion, hate, or violence to scare people into coming to his way of thinking. I would have loved to hear him give one of his speeches, it sounds as though he was an excellent speaker. He quickly became popular in the United States and even in Europe and couldn't travel on a train without being greeted and praised by people, white and black at each stop. There was a huge demand for him to speak at different places and organizations, to take up a speaking tour, and to join different boards. He received an Honorary degree from Harvard in 1896 and Dartmouth in 1901. His fundraising efforts for his school were impressive and as he admits, sometimes "providential."

It was very interesting to read about his life, all that he attained, and how he helped so many black people just out of slavery. As I have read books about slavery etc I have rarely considered what happened after slavery was ended and the disadvantage black people were at because of their limited work experience in the institution of slavery. This is why Booker Washington opened his school at Tuskegee, to help black people gain an education and also a marketable skill which could be used to provide a living. His emphasis at Tuskegee Normal School was specifically placed on giving students an industrial education so they could get jobs and compete with the whites. At one point he mentioned how hard it was to get a job if you were black and had a college degree. He didn't discourage that but seemed to accept the fact that in most civilizations, 90% of the population made a living in the industrial jobs. Washington even made his students build the buildings in which they learned and lived. They even made the bricks and had a lumber mill.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because it wasn't the easiest book to read. I stopped it for about a week but really wanted to see what else he had to say. Once I got back into it with and stopped expecting it to be a biography I really enjoyed it and read it quickly. The book reads more like a business report of sorts but it was incredibly inspiring, interesting, eye-opening. It really is interesting to see his take on the issues. I'm very interested in reading more books by him and learning more about him.

[Micah Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know he wrote this himself, but his orations and reviews in the newspapers speak for themselves, this was a man who knew the definition of integrity and fully lived up to that definition. He had a goal that was larger than himself, larger than just improving the lives of the newly freed slaves. He claimed his goal was to raise the entire South to a new level. What he did was raise the entire country to a new level and influence the world. As he traveled on a European vacation, he was recognized and asked to speak internationally because his influence was felt across the ocean. While he may be looked at simply as a school founder and administrator, he was far more due to his passion and dedication to helping others succeed, and his ability to persuade others to join and promote his cause.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of little gems in this book. He led a compelling life. I wouldn't say flowery prose is his cup of tea, but his straight forward style gets right down to the point.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Booker starts and ends his book with an apology for writing and talking about himself. No apology needed Mr. Washington, we have so much to learn from you. A fascinating life.

[Arthur Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was a good read; however, BTW focus too much on the creation and the development of the Tuskegee Institute.

[Cheryl L.E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel wholly inadequate to review the work of such a man. I knew little of Booker T Washington prior to reading this work. An inspiring man, leader, and educator, he had a vision for the success of his people and worked tirelessly to get there, right up to the end.

I had to constantly remind myself of the time period in which he lived and was working to build and grow the Tuskegee Institute. Plessy v Ferguson (1896) made segregation legal and enabled the Jim Crow era. Washington worked within this framework which must have been agonizingly difficult to speak of and hear others speak as if the men and women brought as slaves to this country were pagan barbarians full of ignorance, the constant ethnocentrism was uncomfortable to read.

Still, Washington's work and legacy uplifted hundreds of thousands of people spiritually and economically through his devotion to education and instilling in others the desire and means to better themselves. He understood how to work within the parameters and limitations of his time and amazingly earned the respect of (and sizable donations from) prominent white citizens of the North and South. In a time of segregation, he brought together black and white people who came to hear him speak, dined with presidents and royals, and became and inspiring and respected leader among both races.

[Todd Cheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

“To do a common thing in an uncommon way… (Booker T Washington)” Mr. Washington was great with words, thirst for education, ability to convene others on an impactful purpose. He measured a human by how a person in power treats the marginalized. And he built bridges with those eager on his purpose.

I greatly appreciated this documented rain storm of understanding as he rose out of slavery, feed his thirst for knowledge through extraordinary hardship, and continued to grow an investment that helped an entire community rise up with education. He built and strengthen coalitions of those who would partner. Eloquent in his unique journey to improve an unhealthy system.

How do transition a community held in toil and lacking a ecosystem of educated? Don’t just teach them to get education and join the workforce and ecosystem of the educated professional. There is no market of marginalized educated persons. Why would a marginalized community seek a lawyer in their group? Thus, Mr. Washington systematically creates a university and teaches the student to not only get educated but be so educated they create the business and ecosystem. Impressive.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook. It’s interesting because it was written over 100 years ago when Americans spoke and lived differently.

I love the perspectives and advice of Booker T Washington.

I think this book is outstanding.

I highly recommend this book.