April 1 …

Hampton University — a private historically Black university in Hampton, VA — was founded on April 1, 1868 by Samuel Chapman Armstrong as the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute.

The institution grew out of wartime educational efforts for the formerly enslaved and became a leading center for teacher training and industrial education in the post–Civil War South.

Hampton developed out of early efforts to educate Blacks who seized their own freedom — known as “Contraband” — in the Hampton Roads region during the Civil War. In 1861, Mary Smith Peake, for example, a free Black missionary supported by the American Missionary Association, began teaching Blacks under the Emancipation Oak near Fort Monroe. Schools like Peake’s demonstrated both the hunger for literacy and the determination of newly freed communities to obtain education.

After the war, Samuel Armstrong, now a Freedmen’s Bureau agent, supervised educational and relief work in the region. Building on the foundation of the mission schools, Armstrong helped establish Hampton Institute, whose early curriculum combined academic study with industrial training, including agriculture, carpentry, and teacher education.

Over time, Hampton’s curriculum expanded beyond industrial education to include liberal arts, sciences, and professional studies. Hampton awarded its first bachelor’s degrees in 1922, signaling its transition into a fully accredited collegiate institution. It became Hampton Institute in 1930 and achieved university status in 1984.

In the modern era, Hampton has developed strong and innovative programs in marine and environmental science, nursing, business administration, engineering, and aviation. This reflects both its geographic location and the evolving demands of its workforce.

Hampton produced influential alumni across multiple fields. Perhaps its most famous graduate, Booker T. Washington (1875), extended Hampton’s educational philosophy by founding Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. More recent 20th-century graduates include the following individuals.

• Wanda Sykes (1986) — Entertainer who began her career as a procurement specialist with the National Security Agency.
• Ruth Simmons (1967) — First Black president of an Ivy League institution.
• Mary Jackson (1942) — Pioneer whose work at NASA helped break barriers for Black women in engineering.

Other Hampton graduates have made significant contributions to medicine, public service, and scientific research.

Hampton University’s legacy is rooted in its early mission to educate freedpeople and train Black teachers, while its recent history reflects an enduring commitment to academic excellence and leadership.

From the earliest classes taught by Mary Peake to its present status as a comprehensive university, Hampton University remains a vital institution in African American educational history.

Selected Sources:

• Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Hampton University.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.
• Hampton University. “History and Traditions.” Hampton University Official Website.
• Hampton University Office of Alumni Affairs. “Notable Alumni.” Hampton University.
• American Missionary Association. Annual Reports of the American Missionary Association, 1861–1868. New York: American Missionary Association Archives.
• U.S. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Records of the Freedmen’s Bureau, 1865–1872. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.