The Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers (Tuskegee University)

The Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers (Tuskegee University) was founded on July 4, 1881, by Booker T. Washington with support of Alabama’s state legislature via House Bill 165. Initially founded as an educational site for Black teachers, Tuskegee, under Washington’s leadership, became one of the states’ and country’s most notable learning institutions for academic and industrial education. Tuskegee students learned to build homes, grow food, and provide all necessities with a goal of taking their knowledge back to their southern communities. Washington’s fundraising efforts resulted in Tuskegee’s independence from Alabama as it became a privately funded university in 1892. Washington remained the president of Tuskegee until his death in 1915. Tuskegee University still is an active university with an undergraduate enrollment of 2,500-3,000 each fall semester.