3/24/08

Booker T. Washington’s Up from Slavery presents a unique account from somebody who grew up during and after the Civil War. Washington’s autobiography describes life as a young slave boy on a Southern plantation as well as the beginnings of life as a free man. I thought it was interesting how the slaves that lived and worked on the same plantation as Washington did not feel much bitterness towards their masters who lived in the “big house.” They mourned for the one man who died and felt bad for those who were injured in the war. The slaves felt that being picked to keep watch at night over the men who were recovering was a very honorable position. Even when the slaves were set free by the Emancipation Proclamation, some of the older ones went back to their former masters and asked for work. This was also due to the fact that starting a whole new life at their age would be rather difficult. Booker T. Washington also had a unique desire for an education. I think it is obvious that this willingness to learn, even after only reading the first few chapters, is what propels him to be one of the great African Americans and a great leader for the people of his race. His longing for an education leads to his desire for the rest of African Americans to have an education similar to his. This is one reason why Washington goes on to establish Tuskegee Institute. His commentaries on the effects of ancestry and the Emancipation Proclamation on both races are very intriguing. It makes sense too that after the slaves were set free, the white people in the South were not much better off than the slaves who were going out into the world for the first time on their own. For years, the slaves had always done the labor and chores required to run a household. Now, there was no one to cook, clean, etc. The white girls had to learn how to take care of a house after having it done for them their whole lives. In addition, the ancestry of an individual gave a white man reasons not to fail at a particular job so as to not embarrass his whole family. The black man’s lack of ancestry makes him want to establish a good reputation for his family, but there is no family before him to embarrass if he does not do well.