Legacies In Up From Slavery

Lives and Legacies “The greatest revolution in our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.” -William James. We see this is true in the two stories we experience, portraying lives of American slaves living in the 1800s. In the first novel, Up From Slavery, we heard how Booker T. Washington lived his short years as a slave, how the emancipation changed his future, and how he became a highly renowned scholarly man. In the second book, The Narrative Life of Fredrick Douglas, we went on a journey through his cruel life as an American slave. We learned how he survived in that brutality and how the influence of slavery effected his future. In these
We came in on Bookers life at the beginning of his childhood. He had a loving mother and siblings, good work and reasonably kind masters. At age nine, Booker and his family gained their freedom. For the rest of his childhood, he became educated and lived with his family in West Virginia. As a young adult, he secured a job to pay for his studies at the Hampton Institute. Overall, we observe that Booker T. Washington had a pretty favorable life in comparison to many other slaves. But when we observed the life of Fredrick, we saw cruel, bitter and horrible treatment. He was torn from his mother as an infant and never had a relationship with her. As a child, Fredrick never had a steady home or people to call his own. He was moved around, and abused his whole childhood. Although both children lived in American slavery, we see how different situations can lead to very different
First of all, the way they acquired their freedom was opposite. Washington was emancipated at a young age, so thankfully he didn't have to endure the treacherous escape process that Douglass went through. After their independence was gained, they became very different men. Douglass was known as an abolitionist leader and was famous for being an advocate for presidents. He also gave many speeches on a myriad of topics, such as women's rights and the Irish home rule. Washington on the other hand was recognized for being an author, educator, preacher and many other things. He started an institution for African Americans in a time where that was unheard of. Ultimately, their two very different lives lead to very different