Duchess Harris A LETTER FROM DUCHESS I have been a college professor for more than 20 years My favorite course to teach is Black Public Intellectuals We read books written by Black American thinkers The first book we read is Booker T Washington’s autobiography Up From Slavery Washington was a complex man who had a huge impact on the late 1800s Washington was born into slavery It was illegal to teach enslaved people to read or write When Washington was freed in 1865 education became his passion He became an educator and developed teaching strategies Not everyone agreed with his strategies Black author and activist W E B Du Bois was critical of Washington He had different ideas about education When my college students learn this they are tempted to take sides One thing I would like young readers to think about as they read this book is whether there is more than one way to lead Please join me in learning about Washington and his legacy Join me on a journey that tells the story of the promise of freedom
Booker T Washington gave a speech to an audience of white and black people in Mississippi in 1912
CHAPTER ONE
GROWING UP ENSLAVED Young Booker walked across a was the mid-1800s not long before plantation in Hale’s Ford Virginia It the American Civil War 1861 1865 Booker followed behind a girl He carried her books The girl’s father was Booker’s slaveholder He owned the plantation The children reached a schoolhouse The girl went inside Booker gazed through the open door The room was filled with children Booker wished he could go inside too If he could have anything he wanted he would choose to get an education Booker T Washington’s writings were influenced by his childhood in slavery and his desire for an education
