AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY By Booker T. Washington This volume is dedicated to my Wife MRS. MARGARET JAMES WASHINGTON And to my Brother MR. JOHN H. WASHINGTON Whose patience, fidelity, and hard work have gone far to make the work at Tuskegee successful. CONTENTS Preface Introduction UP FROM SLAVERY Chapter I. A Slave Among Slaves Chapter II. Boyhood Days Chapter III. The Struggle For An Education Chapter IV. Helping Others Chapter V. The Reconstruction Period Chapter VI. Black Race And Red Race Chapter VII. Early Days At Tuskegee Chapter VIII. Teaching School In A Stable And A Hen-House Chapter IX. Anxious Days And Sleepless Nights Chapter X. A Harder Task Than Making Bricks Without Straw Chapter XI. Making Their Beds Before They Could Lie On Them Chapter XII. Raising Money Chapter XIII. Two Thousand Miles For A Five-Minute Speech Chapter XIV. The Atlanta Exposition Address Chapter XV. The Secret Of Success In Public Speaking Chapter XVI. Europe Chapter XVII. Last Words UP FROM SLAVERY: 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 came to me from all parts of the country, asking that the articles be permanently preserved in book form. I am most grateful to the Outlook for permission to gratify these requests. I have tried to tell a simple, straightforward story, with no attempt at embellishment. My regret is that what I have attempted to do has been done so imperfectly. The greater part of my time and strength is required for the executive work connected with the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, and in securing the money necessary for the support of the institution. Much of what I have said has been written on board trains, or at hotels or railroad stations while I have been waiting for trains, or during the moments that I could spare from my work while at Tuskegee. Without the painstaking and generous assistance of Mr. Max Bennett Thrasher I could not have succeeded in any satisfactory degree. Introduction