Up From Slavery: Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

Washington begins his narrative in slavery not only to account for the chronological progression of his life, but also to show the depths from which he rose. A major purpose of the narrative is to show how hard labor, honesty, and thrift can achieve equality for newly freed black Americans. By detailing the adverse conditions in which he grew up, Washington is trying to show that any person can uplift themselves, no matter how low their social status. Note also that Washington’s father was a white slave owner, showing the tragic prevalence of rape and broken families as part of the institution of slavery.

While Washington does not condone his mother’s stealing, he believes that it is simply evidence of what the practice of slavery can do to one’s moral character. He does not blame his mother for her transgression, and he uses this as further evidence of the evils of slavery.

Once again, Washington demonstrates the hardships of his childhood in slavery. However, it’s particularly notable that he does not reject the labor requirements of his master. Washington sees labor not only as a necessary part of life, but also as a dignifying and noble practice. He only finds it unreasonable that he was required to complete tasks that he was physically unequipped to complete.

This passage is Washington’s first mention of education in his narrative, and he suggests that he was enchanted by the idea of education at a young age. This sets the tone for his later quest for education in the mines in West Virginia and at the Hampton Institute.

The “first realization of slavery” is a recurring element in many slave narratives and early African American autobiographies. Most people growing up in slavery did not know what “slavery” and “freedom” really meant because they rarely left the plantation or heard news from outside the plantation boundaries. Thus many narratives, spanning from early works such as the Life of Olaudah Equiano in the late 18th century to Zora Neale Hurston’s autobiographical essays in the early 20th century include a passage of “finding out” about slavery or racism as a key part of growing up and coming of age. This passage also highlights Washington’s belief in the thriftiness of slaves despite their deprived social status and lack of education.

Washington continues to describe the material depths of slavery to highlight how his theory of racial uplift and dignity in labor can work for someone starting at the bottom.

Part of Washington’s racial ideology is his insistence that black Americans hold no racial animosity towards white Americans, and that black Americans demonstrate virtue even in the depths of slavery or poverty. His concept of America’s meritocracy, or the belief that societal value is placed on those who demonstrate their own goodness through hard work and success regardless of race, is built upon this idea of the general merit and virtue of black Americans.

In this example, Washington reiterates his point about the general virtue of slaves in spite of the degradation of the institution of slavery. Washington also again emphasizes the potentially strong bonds between black enslaved people and white slave owners.

Much of Washington’s racial ideology denies the lasting negative effects of slavery on black Americans. After Emancipation, many black leaders saw the social, educational, and economic deficits of newly freed slaves, and they placed the blame both on slavery and racist white slave owners. Washington flips this narrative, suggesting that slavery did not necessarily hold black Americans back. In fact, he claims that it actually helped black Americans, introducing them to Christianity and Western civilization, both of which he greatly admired. In this flipped narrative, white Americans were hurt the most by slavery, both in the evidence of their moral decrepitude and their lack of affinity for labor and hard work. There is little to no sociological and economic evidence to support Washington’s claims, but they are a foundation for his ideology of racial uplift.

This is largely a transitional passage that marks Washington’s first movement upward out of slavery toward freedom and success. He also briefly gives some interesting information about how slaves worked around their lack of freedom and education to still stay informed.

The hope and joy that Emancipation brought for many slaves came with a heavy burden: the burden of freedom. Washington reiterates the virtue of the slaves, as many of them felt compassion for their masters and did not hold hate or anger towards them. This chapter ends on a dark note, however, for Washington suggests that slaves will face a difficult and uncertain future in Emancipation, because freedom is a wonderful but difficult responsibility. He believes that labor and education are the only things that will lighten the burden of freedom from newly freed slaves.