Character Building

by Booker T. Washington

Overview

In Character Building are thirty seven addresses that Booker T. Washington gave before students, faculty, and guests at the Tuskegee Institute. These addresses take the form of timeless advice on a number of subjects, very motivational and uplifting. Washington was constantly, and often bitterly, criticized by his contemporaries for being too conciliatory to whites and not concerned enough about civil rights. It would not be until after his death that the world would find out that he had indeed worked a great deal for civil rights anonymously behind the scenes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781625586117
Publisher:	Start Publishing LLC
Publication date:	02/18/2013
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	157
File size:	252 KB

About the Author

Booker T. Washington (1856–1915) was a prominent figure in the African American community and a champion of higher education. He was born into slavery and obtained freedom shortly after the Emancipation Proclamation. As a child, he worked manual jobs to help support his family, but aspired to receive a formal education. He enrolled in Hampton Normal Agricultural Institute in Virginia and thrived as a student. After graduating, Washington embarked on a career as a lecturer and leader of the Tuskegee Institute. He also worked as a political advisor to presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Transaction Edition xiii

Preface xli

1 Two Sides of Life 1

2 Helping Others 7

3 Some of the Rocks Ahead 13

4 On Influencing by Example 19

5 The Virtue of Simplicity 23

6 Have You Done Your Best? 29

7 Don't Be Discouraged 35

8 On Getting a Home 39

9 Calling Things by Their Right Names 43

10 European Impressions 49

11 The Value of System in Home Life 55

12 What Will Pay 59

13 Education that Educates 65

14 The Importance of Being Reliable 71

15 The Highest Education 77

16 Unimproved Opportunities 83

17 Keeping Your Word 91

18 Some Lessons of the Hour 97

19 The Gospel of Service 103

20 The Negro Conference 109

21 What Is to Be Our Future? 115

22 Some Great Little Things 121

23 To Would-Be Teachers 127

24 The Cultivation of Stable Habits 131

25 What You Ought to Do 135

26 Individual Responsibility 141

27 Getting on in the World 147

28 Each One His Part 151

29 What Would Father and Mother Say? 157

30 Object Lessons 163

31 Substance vs. Shadow 167

32 Character as Shown in Dress 171

33 Sing the Old Songs 175

34 Getting Down to Mother Earth 181

35 A Penny Saved 187

36 Growth 195

37 Last Words 199