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Booker T. Washington (April 5, 1856 - November 14, 1915) was 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. He was representative of the last generation of black leaders born in slavery and spoke on behalf of blacks living in the South.

Washington was born into slavery to a white father and a slave mother in a rural area in southwestern Virginia. After emancipation, he worked in West Virginia in a variety of manual labor jobs before making his way to Hampton Roads seeking an education. He worked his way through Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University) and attended college at Wayland Seminary (now Virginia Union University). After returning to Hampton as a teacher, in 1881 he was named as the first leader of the new Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

At age 16, he walked from Malden, West Virginia to Hampton, Virginia to go to college. Google maps says its a 386 mile trip.He was the first African-American to receive an honorary degree from Harvard. He was the first African-American on a U.S. postage stamp and even had his face on a limited-circulation U.S. half dollar.His blood pressure was twice the normal level. A tireless worker, at age 59, he collapsed from exhaustion in New York City and was carted back to Tuskegee, Alabama, where he soon died. The "T" in his name stands for Taliaferro.

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Booker T. Washington was born on April 5, 1856. He was an adviser to U.S. Presidents, an author, and a leader in the African-American movement.

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Q: Booker t Washington's life
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