Black History Month Salutes: Booker T. Washington - WSET.com - ABC13

In 1856, Booker T. Washington was born a slave on the farm of James Burroughs near Hardy, in Franklin County.

After the Civil War, Washington became founder and first principal of the Tuskeegee Normal and Industrial School in Alabama.

An American educator, author, orator, and political leader, he was the dominant figure in the African American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915.

His birthplace is now a national monument, operated by the National Parks Service.