What Experience Has Taught Me: An Autobiography of Thomas William Burton (1910) recounts Burton's life and his struggles to improve himself. He also describes meetings with many African American professionals and their efforts to improve their situation and he includes a daily journal of events at the 1901 National Negro Business League. Throughout the text, Burton's own poetry enriches his recollections. In the final chapters, Burton discusses the importance of self-motivation and Christian living.

Work Consulted: Coyle, William, ed., Ohio Authors and Their Books. Biographical data and selective bibliographies for Ohio authors, native and resident, 1796-1950, Cleveland: World Publishing, 1962.

Harris Henderson