Up from Slavery

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Up From Slavery Throughout my life I have heard that a person’s success or failure in life is based on how they were raised. When one looks at American slavery, it seems as if the life of a slave would never turn out to be great due to the horrors of being held captive by the system of slavery. But in spite of how terrible a person’s upbringing may have been, I believe that anyone can be successful in life by faith, hard work, and perseverance. Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington is a great example of how anyone can succeed in life. When I think of the title of Mr. Washington’s autobiography, I think about a slave who decided to forget the past, and press onward to a higher place in life. Consider this quote by Booker T. …show more content…

Washington, 574).
We can clearly see from this quote that Mr. Washington’s mother was a woman of faith; one who prayed consistently believing that one day her family would be free from the bondage of slavery. In 1863 her prayers were answered when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves who were under the confederacy. This must have been the greatest day in the lives of so many slaves – it was an opportunity to move from slavery to a more desirable way of living. After being released through the Emancipation Proclamation and working in a coal-mine, Mr. Washington heard two other miners discussing a topic that was of great interest to him – an opportunity to learn a trade or industry at Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia. This school was specifically for blacks who were poor, but who could work out the cost of board for learning a trade or industry at this institution.
“I resolved at once to go to that school, although I had no idea where it was, or how many miles away, or how I was going to reach it; I remembered only that I was on fire constantly with one ambition, and that was to go to Hampton. This thought was with me day and night” (Booker T. Washington, 587).
Before making his journey to Hampton Mr. Washington decided to work for General

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