Character Building [Paperback]

Booker T. Washington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2002

As president of the Tuskegee Institute, Booker T. Washington made it his habit to deliver an address to his students every Sunday night. Washington was not only concerned with a giving his students a technical education, but with teaching them how to be successful in both the moral and commercial realm. These collected lectures are all on topics of character building and living a moral life and include subjects such as " The Virtue of Simplicity", "Keeping Your Word", "Object Lessons" and "Individual Opportunities".

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Booker Taliaferro Washington (1856-1915), the former slave and founder of Tuskegee Institute, was a leading educator, author, and statesman who rose from slavery to become internationally famous. As a black man in America during times of extreme racial turbulence, Washington had the privilege of being personally acquainted with prominent public figures such as Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Carnegie, Frederick Douglass, H.G. Wells and Mark Twain. The distinguished Booker T. Washington was also the first black man to dine with the president of the United States, to have tea with the Queen of England, and to receive honorary degrees from Harvard and Dartmouth.

Washington was only twenty-five years old when he founded Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute on July 4, 1881. He started with absolutely no capital and built the institution on sheer faith and determination. Virtually every building on campus was built by Tuskegee students, and they also manufactured the dormitory pillows and mattresses.

In addition to providing Tuskegee students with quality academic programs, Booker T. Washington also emphasized personal discipline, morality, integrity, cleanliness, and the practical aspects of life that could not be learned in textbooks alone. Washington even once said, The cleaning of rooms has a great deal to do with forming one s character.

As a monument to a great leader, the centerpiece of the Tuskegee University campus in Alabama is a bronze statue of a dignified and well-dressed Booker T. Washington next to a poor black man with a textbook. The message beneath the compelling figures states, He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry.

Booker T. Washington s life proves that he gave up his rights to help the less fortunate achieve greater progress in many ways. As one who was a friend to presidents, millionaires and other world leaders, he was one of the most influential black men in America. Yet he still chose a life of great sacrifice in order to improve conditions for others rather than simply indulge in the benefits of his fame and influence. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Fredonia Books (NL) (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589637658
• ISBN-13: 978-1589637658
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 4.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,871,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still Good for Today, September 30, 2003

By 

Andre M. "brnn64" (Mt. Pleasant, SC United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Character Building (Paperback)

This is a collection of BTW's Sunday sermons to his Tuskegee students. Originally published in 1902, the lessons on thrift, clean living, sharing what you learn with others, the need to read, and the value of education of the heart as well as the head are still valuable a century later. Does not date too badly and with so many young people growing up today without this kind of advice in the home, it's needed just as much today.

Many uninformed people dismiss BTW as an "Uncle Tom," but the publication of more of his writings like this will show that in spite of any faults, he was a very useful person in the upliftment of people. Read it and see.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a piece of history, December 15, 2003

By 

Betsy1479 "betsy1479" (Normal, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Character Building (Paperback)

Proves that some kinds of advice are timeless. If you are reading a historical review of the man's life, you should read his own words too.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Character Building, May 5, 2009

By 

Carol A. Cook "author" (Wapakoneta, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Character Building (An African American Heritage Book) (Paperback)

Character Building (An African American Heritage Book) This book has so many wonderful life lessons which are just as powerful and thought-provoking today as they were when Booker T. Washington wrote them at the turn of the 20th century. I try to read an essay to my students on a regular basis because the essays really hit home with some of the issues my students have. The essays are well-written and easy to read and understand.