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Up from Slavery

In: English and Literature

Submitted By billydeon
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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. Washington:
“When persons ask me in these days how, in the midst of what sometimes seem hopelessly discouraging conditions, I can have such faith in the future of my race in this country, I remind them of the wilderness through which and out of which, a good Providence has already led us” (Booker T. Washington, 578).
I find this quote by Booker T. Washington to be profound considering the circumstances he was in at the time. Mr. Washington had all odds stacked against him as a youth that could have hindered his progress and growth in life. He described the beginnings of his life as being miserable, with disfavored surroundings. He was born a slave; he didn’t know his father; his mother hardly had time to provide any kind of training for him and his siblings due to her responsibilities to the plantation; and he had no schooling while being a slave. The lives of white youth were the opposite of black enslaved youth. They had the opportunity to have an education, and to enjoy life with hobbies and play time. It was a life free from the injustice of slavery; a life of freedom that blacks longed for. Out of all the negativity

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