Showing results by narrator "Duncan Brownlehe" in All Categories

Booker T. Washington's essay "The Awakening of the Negro" was published in the September 1896 issue of The Atlantic. It is a semi-autobiographical essay that sets forth Washington’s vision of uplifting his people. He relates how his work began at Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1881, in a small shanty and church without a dollar’s worth of property. The spirit of work and of industrial thrift, with aid from the state and generosity from the North, enabled them to develop an institution of 800 students from 19 states. 

Booker T. Washington was an influential black intellectual and educator who founded Tuskegee University in 1881. His article, The Case of the Negro first appeared in the November 1899 issue of The Atlantic. In it, he discusses the various options to improve the lives of his people. Washington warned about the severe competition and the unfriendly influence of labor organizations that existed in the North. 

Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street is a short story by Herman Melville, first serialized in a magazine in 1853, and reprinted with minor edits in The Piazza Tales in 1856. Set in the mid-19th century on Wall Street, the story tells of a lawyer who employs Bartleby, a new clerk, who, after an initial stint of hard work, refuses to perform any task required of him, with the words, "I would prefer not to." The narrator attempts to reason with Bartleby to no avail, and Bartleby starts living at the office. 

Charles Waddell Chesnutt was an influential African American writer of fiction at the turn of the 20th century; his biographical work on Frederick Douglass was thus an exception. The book begins with Douglass’ birth in slavery and covers escape to New York. It culminates in Douglass’ life as a free man and lecturer on the antislavery circuit. 

This collection of short stories tells the tales of legendary events and heroes. Historical figures include Alexander the Great, Kings Alfred and Canute, Doctor Goldsmith, Julius Ceasar, William Tell, and George Washington. 

Billy Budd, Sailor is a novella by Herman Melville which was left unfinished at the time of his death in 1891. Ecstatically received by critics in 1924 when a hastily transcribed version was published, it soon became second in importance only to Moby Dick among the author’s works. Budd is a sailor who strikes and inadvertently kills John Claggart, the Master-at-arms. The ship's Captain, Edward Vere, is aware of Budd's lack of intent but the law of mutiny requires him to sentence Billy to be hanged. 

Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) was one of the most prominent leaders in advancing African American civil rights. He points out that those who are freed cannot be members of society because they are not given the same opportunities. Washington concludes the book with five principles that will aid African Americans in their fight to have equal rights and opportunities. 

Elihu Root (1845-1937) was a lawyer and statesman who served as the Secretary of State under President Theodore Roosevelt and as Secretary of War under Roosevelt and President William McKinley. He emphasized three qualities of Lincoln’s in this work: sympathy for all his fellow men, a sense of proportion or a sense of humor, and subordination of himself to his cause. Abraham Lincoln was dedicated to preserving the Union and ending slavery.