Booker Taliaferro Washington is born into slavery in Franklin County, Virginia.
At a Glance
- Date
- 5 April 1856
- Location
- Franklin County, Virginia
- Key people
- Booker T. Washington
- Category
- Education & HBCUs
- Source
- Up from Slavery (1901) · Library of Congress
What It Meant Then
He would found Tuskegee Institute and become the most powerful Black leader of his generation.
What It Means Now
His accommodationist strategy remains a central debate in African American thought.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “Booker T. Washington Is Born.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/booker-t-washington-is-born/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Booker T. Washington Is Born. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/booker-t-washington-is-born/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “Booker T. Washington Is Born.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/booker-t-washington-is-born/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.