Comparative Essay: Up from Slavery and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

The books Up from slavery and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an enslaved American, are great books that detail Booker T. Washingtons' life and Frederick Douglass's life. In Up from Slavery, Washington traces his journey from a slave to an educator. The early sections document his childhood as a slave and his efforts to get an education. He directly credits his education with his later success as a man of action in his community and the nation. 

And Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an 1845 memoir and treatise on abolition written by famous orator and former slave Frederick Douglass during his time in Lynn, Massachusetts. It is generally the most famous of several narratives written by former slaves during the same period. 

We will compare Booker T. Washington, an American educator, author, orator, and adviser, to several presidents of the United States between 1890 and 1915. He was the dominant leader in the African American community and the contemporary black elite, and the most influential spokesman for Black Americans between 1895 and 1915; he was born towards the end of slavery and was freed later in his life. And Fredrick Douglas who was an African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the Massachusetts and New York abolitionist movement, becoming famous for his oratory and incisive antislavery writings.

Even though they were alive in different times and led separate lives in slavery, they were both eager to make a difference, cared about fellow free slaves, and were determined to succeed.

First off, they were both eager for change and made a positive difference. Fredrick Douglas, when freed, sought to abolish the practice of slavery. He became a leader in the abolitionist movement, which sought to end slavery before and during the Civil War. After this and the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862, he continued his push for equality and human rights until he died in 1895. You may ask how this is an example of assertion here is why he was determined to end slavery, even leading the movement through the Civil war and until his death. 

Booker T. Washington designed, developed, and guided the Tuskegee Institute; He advocated economic independence through self-help, hard work, and practical education. He was committed to improving the lives of African-Americans after the Civil War. He was determined to help others, especially African-Americans who had spent their lives as enslaved people. "Those who are happiest do the most for others." in both Fredrick Douglas and Booker T. Washington's lives; we see that they were both eager to change other people's lives and make a difference in the world.

Secondly, both Fredrick Douglas and Booker T. Washington helped slaves change their lives to live better ones. Fredrick Douglas helped other slaves; he is known as the Slave that helped other Slaves. Douglass met with President Abraham Lincoln regarding the treatment of black soldiers in the war and helped devise a plan to get freed slaves out of the South and into the North. During the war, he also assisted the Union by serving as a recruiter, recruiting even his son. Later, he met with President Andrew Johnson on black suffrage. "For my part, I should prefer death to hopeless bondage." He did not care what others thought; he was determined to find a way to help other slaves.

Booker T. Washington had a similar idea but went about it differently.

He started a great institution to help slaves and others. vThe Institution was named Tuskegee (now Tuskegee University), which has helped tens of thousands of people gain skills needed to lift themselves. The graduates have included people from Africa, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Research conducted at Tuskegee, especially by botanist George Washington Carver, helped poor Southern farmers. "Those who are happiest do the most for others." This was one of the main ways Booker helped others, especially teaching freed slaves how to live appropriately. Even though both of their ways to help other slaves were a bit different, they still worked, and they both still had the same mindset to help others. 

Fredrick Douglas was determined to escape slavery. The determination of Frederick Douglass paid off on his third attempt to escape slavery in 1838. Douglass's determination continued after he escaped slavery. He helped push for the end of slavery and the start of voting rights for African American men. Lastly, they both Spent most of their freed life helping others.

"Nothing valuable shall be obtained without labor and agony." even after failing twice to escape, as people say third times the charm because on his third attempt to escape, it worked out. He continued to push for more things with great determination. 

They were both determined to succeed, with Fredrick escaping and Booker getting an Education. On the other hand, Booker T. Washington was determined to get an education. He was so determined to get an education that he worked as a janitor to be able to participate in the school. With this in mind, he enrolled at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia (1872).

Both of these men were eager to make a difference, cared about fellow free slaves, and were determined. However, they both spent their lives watching more about others than themselves. Frederick Douglas was a runaway slave who worked to end slavery. Booker T. Washington was a slave freed after the Civil War; he spent his life bettering his race by educating African-Americans. These great men had a significant impact on America, but Booker T. Washington was more important as he helped free slaves learn how to live correctly; without him, it could have changed our country to this day.