Up From Slavery' is an autobiographical account by Booker T. Washington, detailing his personal experiences of rising from the conditions of slavery in the United States to becoming a leading African American educator, orator, and advisor to presidents. Published in 1901, the book outlines Washington's philosophy on education, hard work, and self-help as means for African Americans to improve their lives and secure their economic and social independence. It covers his early life in slavery, his efforts to get an education, and his work establishing and leading the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, a vocational school for African Americans.