EOTO: The History behind Tuskegee University

Read further to see the historic roots that Tuskegee University has.

The founding of what used to be known as Tuskegee Institute but now known as Tuskegee University has historical significance. This significance started in 1881 when Tuskegee Institute was founded by Booker T. Washington under an Alabama legislature charter. This institute began to allow African Americans learn at a higher level such as college. At this institute, the African Americans who attended had academic and vocational training. This training included basic skills such as building buildings, producing food, and providing for basic needs so that the students could share these skills with the African American communities throughout the South.

In 1892, the institute soon became an independent from the state of Alabama. Then in 1965, the institute soon became the only college/ higher learning institute to be designated as a historic site by the US Congress and that still rings true even today. Twenty years later in 1985, the institute soon became an university and the official name of the school became Tuskegee University.

Over the years, the university has grown from the 30 African American adult students in a small room to it having more than 3,000 students on a 5,000 acre campus with more than 70 buildings. And even still today, the diversity of the campus is prominently African American (72.6%) which relates the historic roots of the founding for equal education for African Americans.

For more information about history of Tuskegee University please view the below sources.

https://www.tuskegee.edu/about-us/history-and-mission

https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/odyssey/educate/bookert.html