Booker T. Washington’s autobiography is a credible historical source of data about the times. Autobiographies offer an account of lived experiences, making them viable primary data sources. Washington’s reputation as an author, educator, orator, and adviser to presidents precedes him, which makes his autobiography even more believable.
Many formerly enslaved people have written accounts of their suffering during slavery. Such accounts present a common theme regarding cruelty and the diminished living conditions until freedom came. Such aspects have been captured in Washington’s autobiography, for example, the lack of food and poor living and working conditions. Washington summarizes these diminished conditions using the statement, “I cannot remember having slept in a bed until after our family was declared free by the Emancipation Proclamation” (Washington, 1901, p. 5). The autobiography expresses how formerly enslaved people significantly changed the course of history for African Americans.
Washington’s attitudes and expectations educate the reader about the difficulties and harsh realities that American society faced after the Emancipation Proclamation. For example, even after becoming free, the whites tried everything possible to prevent blacks from voting. As such, it was easy for the blacks to develop hatred for whites. However, Washington advocates restraint since the whites would damage themselves more than the wrongs they did to the blacks.
Washington told the story the way he did because he sought to educate the masses on the right path to pursue equal rights. His audience is primarily African Americans, who have suffered a similar fate and shared similar visions for their race. The audience would have likely reacted by embracing his ideas and striving to avoid the mistakes people made during the reconstruction period. Washington (1901) argued that the Reconstruction policy had “a false foundation” (p. 84). The audience could have undertaken to redefine their objectives regarding the realization of freedom for formerly enslaved people.
Reference
Washington, B. (1901). Up from slavery: An autobiography. Doubleday & Company, Inc.