Booker T. Washington, born on April 5, 1856, was an American educator, author, and orator. His impact on the African-American community and the contemporary Black elite between 1890 and 1915 was profound. Born into slavery in Hale’s Ford, Virginia, Washington was freed during the Civil War when U.S. troops reached the area. As a young man, he worked his way through Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute and attended college at Wayland Seminary.