The Booker T. Washington Reader

Up From Slavery: An Autobiography; My Larger Education; Character Building; The Negro Problem

Here in one omnibus edition are Booker T. Washington's most important books. Washington was constantly, and often bitterly, criticized by his contemporaries for being too conciliatory to whites and not concerned enough about civil rights. It would not be until after his death that the world would find out that he had indeed worked a great deal for civil rights anonymously behind the scenes. 'Up from Slavery' is one of the most influential biographies ever written. On one level it is the life story of Booker T. Washington and his rise from slavery to accomplished educator and activist. On another level it the story of how an entire race strove to better itself. Washington makes it clear just how far race relations in America have come, and to some extent, just how much further they have to go. Written with wit and clarity. In 'My Larger Education', Booker T. Washington explains how he came by his positions on race relations, by describing the people who influenced him during the founding of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute of Alabama. In 'Character Building' are thirty-seven addresses that Booker T. Washington gave before students, faculty, and guests at the Tuskegee Institute. These addresses take the form of timeless advice on a number of subjects. Very motivational and uplifting. 'The Negro Problem' consists of six historic essays on the state of race relations during the Reconstruction and early twentieth century, written from the African American point of view. Included are "Industrial Education for the Negro" by Booker T. Washington, "The Talented Tenth" by W.E. Burghardt DuBois, "The Disfranchisement of the Negro" by Charles W. Chesnutt, "The Negro and the Law" by Wilford H. Smith, "The Characteristics of the Negro People" by H.T. Kealing, and "Representative American Negroes" by Paul Laurence Dunbar.