(DC) Lesson Topic 2: Up From Slavery

"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed." —Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington was an African-American educator, author, orator, and advisor to Republican presidents. He was the dominant leader in the African-American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915. Representative of the last generation of black American leaders born in slavery, he spoke on behalf of the large majority of blacks who lived in the South but had lost their ability to vote through disenfranchisement by southern legislatures.

You will now read a portion of Washington's book, Up From Slavery, called "Helping Others." Links to an external site. In the story, how did Washington demonstrate character? What did he do to help others? What can you learn from Washington?

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