This website is a project work for the University of Mary Washington’s Local History class, with the purpose of studying the rise of the Tuskegee Institute and how it became Tuskegee University. The question became how a school for African Americans that was built in a former confederate state could have grown the way it did to become one of the most important universities in the United States. Several people would become instrumental in the creation of the school, including Booker T. Washington, who was invited in May of 1881 from the Hampton Institute1 and George Washington Carver, who begun the whole agricultural department at the Tuskegee Institute from scratch.2. Other topics that will be covered includes the creation of the school itself, the Veteran’s Association Hospital, and the Tuskegee Airmen. Through the research, some other key individuals will appear, including United States Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, both of who would show their support to the school and their hard work. More information for the history of the university can be found on the Tuskegee University homepage, where a link will be added to the sidebar. It is my hope that this work will show the possibility that anyone can accomplished, no matter their race, gender, or other.
*Footnotes
1. Booker T. Washington and Chuck Daniel. “Up from slavery: The autobiography of Booker T. Washington.” New York, N.Y: CMS Records, 1968. pg. 69
2. Modern Marvels. Season 11, Episode 7. “George Washington Carver Tech”, directed by Don Cambou, aired February 15, 2005, on The History Channel, accessed April 18th, 2025, https://watch.historyvault.com/shows/modern-marvels/season-11/episode-1/full-episode.