Booker T. Washington - U.S. History - Danny Blas
(1856-1915) Enslaved until after the Civil War, educator Booker T. Washington was one of the most influential men in black history. At the age of 16, he walked 200 miles to enroll at Virginia's Hampton Institute, a factory studies school for African-Americans. He graduated and became a teacher, then founded the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, which would become the largest and best-endowed black education institution. His intelligent and peaceful solutions to racial problems won him the support of white society, opening the door to black progress.