Are you kidding? Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington is an autobiography describing one man's journey from slavery to prominence. Or is it? Mr. Washington's complete assimilation into the white man's world could be seen as an example of complete and utter servility, a lesson in bootlicking. Booker T. Washington knew that to promote the Tuskegee Institute, a school in the South, he would need the help of the same race and culture that had imprisoned him and his people. Long before his association with Southern black schools, Booker T. Washington knew exactly what he didn't want out of life. He didn't like being poor. Raised on a plantation, he learned very early in life that if you appeased the white man, you could live in relative peace. If you went a little further and assimilated into their culture, you might gain some prominence. From the beginning, Booker T. Washington learned that playing the role of the grateful black man would allow him to achieve his goals in life. . He wrote that he had “…long since ceased to entertain any spirit of bitterness against the white Southerners on account of the enslavement of my race” (10). He goes so far as to comment “…despite the cruel wrongs inflicted upon us, the black man has gained almost as much from slavery as the white man” (10). Could you really suggest that anyone enslaved and deprived of an identity could benefit? He states that there was “no feeling of bitterness…” only “…pity among the slaves for our former owners” (13). Could this statement really be realistic? If a person believes that someone can feel anything but bitterness it is ridiculous. The only reason for this deliberate misrepresentation of the truth must be to implement another agenda. He continues throughout his autobiography to continually describe his encounters with white people in the most favorable light. General Samuel C. Armstrong, obviously a Civil War soldier, is described as “…the noblest and rarest human being I have ever had the privilege of meeting”.” (32).