Write down the central theme of the text, struggle for an education, in your own words.

First and foremost, Up from Slavery is a book about the power of education to transform lives. From an early age, Washington views school as a paradise, a way to escape ignorance and to become equipped to help others. He sees industrial education as key, as it gives students the skills to make a living and to be of value in their communities. For this reason he chooses to work in education rather than politics, believing he "would be helping in a more substantial way by assisting in the laying of the foundation of the race through a generous education of the hand, head, and heart" (32).

Washington's life story is an excellent example of the power of perseverance. Faced with numerous barriers, he never gave up trying to get an education as a boy, even going so far as to alter the time displayed on the clock in the salt mines to make it to school on time. He did not give up his dream of getting to Hampton even when he had to sleep under the sidewalk, nor of promoting industrial education when Tuskegee had no money for land, buildings, or materials. He kept trying to make bricks after three failed attempts, and he refused to become discouraged when students complained of the lack of even basic amenities at the school. The great success achieved by both Washington and the Tuskegee Institute is a testament to what can happen when one perseveres even when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges.