After the coming of freedom there were two points upon which practically all the people on our place were agreed, and I found that this was generally true throughout the South: that they must change their names, and that they … Read the rest
Category: Up From Slavery An Autobiography
Up From Slavery: An Autobiography – Chapter I. A Slave Among Slaves
I was born a slave on a plantation in Franklin County, Virginia. I am not quite sure of the exact place or exact date of my birth, but at any rate I suspect I must have been born somewhere and … Read the rest
Up From Slavery: An Autobiography – 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 … Read the rest
Up From Slavery: An Autobiography – 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 … Read the rest
Up From Slavery: An Autobiography – Chapter IX. Anxious Days And Sleepless Nights
The coming of Christmas, that first year of our residence in Alabama, gave us an opportunity to get a farther insight into the real life of the people. The first thing that reminded us that Christmas had arrived was the … Read the rest
Up From Slavery: An Autobiography – Chapter VIII. Teaching School In A Stable And A Hen-House
I confess that what I saw during my month of travel and investigation left me with a very heavy heart. The work to be done in order to lift these people up seemed almost beyond accomplishing. I was only one … Read the rest
Up From Slavery: An Autobiography – Chapter VII. Early Days At Tuskegee
During the time that I had charge of the Indians and the night-school at Hampton, I pursued some studies myself, under the direction of the instructors there. One of these instructors was the Rev. Dr. H.B. Frissell, the present Principal … Read the rest
Up From Slavery: An Autobiography – Chapter VI. Black Race And Red Race
During the year that I spent in Washington, and for some little time before this, there had been considerable agitation in the state of West Virginia over the question of moving the capital of the state from Wheeling to some … Read the rest
Up From Slavery: An Autobiography – Chapter V. The Reconstruction Period
The years from 1867 to 1878 I think may be called the period of Reconstruction. This included the time that I spent as a student at Hampton and as a teacher in West Virginia. During the whole of the Reconstruction … Read the rest
Up From Slavery: An Autobiography – Chapter IV. Helping Others
At the end of my first year at Hampton I was confronted with another difficulty. Most of the students went home to spend their vacation. I had no money with which to go home, but I had to go somewhere. … Read the rest