Booker T. Washington

The son of a black female slave who was raped by a white slave owner, Booker Taliaferro Washington was born on April 5th, 1856 in Hale's Ford, Virginia.

About Booker T. Washington
During his childhood, his mother married a former slave named Washington Ferguson. By the time Booker was 10, he had decided to use his stepfather's first name, Washington, as his surname. Booker was subject to work during his adolescence which included mining coal and working in salt furnaces. When Booker was 16, a white woman complimented his intellect. That woman had urged a young Booker to enroll in school and put his intellect to a good use. Booker enrolled in Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University) and worked as a janitor so that in return, he earned tuition. The headmaster eventually arranged a scholarship for Booker and he accepted it. In 1875, Washington graduated from Hampton and worked as a teacher at Hampton from 1879-1881. After Washington worked at Hampton, he worked as a headmaster for Tuskegee Negro Normal Institute (Now Tuskegee University) Booker was one of the most influential civil rights activists of the 20th century because of courage and beliefs that he always stood for. In 1901, Booker was invited to the white house for dinner by Teddy Roosevelt, who was then president. The invitation shocked the media because the president did not judge Washington for the color of his skin, which was common in that time. Unfortunately, in November 1915, Booker died from complications from high blood pressure, exhaustion, and arteriosclerosis in his sleep. Booker T Washington actually had a number of posthumous honors, such as being the first African American to have his face on a postage stamp and being the first African American to be on a coin, which was the half dollar.