Tuskegee University Marks 145 Years, Founded on July 4, 1881

As America prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July, Tuskegee University is marking a milestone of its own: 145 years since its founding on July 4, 1881. In a new video message, President and CEO Dr. Mark A. Brown reflects on the American Dream and the extraordinary origins of one of the nation's most storied historically Black universities.

Tuskegee's story begins as a powerful example of political compromise — the kind of deal that is rarely easy or rooted in pure benevolence, but from which great things can grow. When Lewis Adams, a formerly enslaved craftsman and community leader, was asked by Alabama Senate candidate Col. W.F. Foster what he wanted in exchange for helping secure the Black vote in an upcoming state election, Adams asked for funding to establish a school for his people.

Col. Foster kept his end of the bargain. With the help of his legislative colleagues, he secured appropriations to establish the "Negro Normal School in Tuskegee." Commissioner George Campbell was assigned to get the school up and running and sent word to Hampton Institute in Virginia in search of a teacher. That teacher was Booker T.

The anniversary arrives alongside another milestone. On July 1, Dr. Brown commemorated his two-year anniversary as president and CEO — the first alumnus ever to hold the role. A retired U.S. Air Force Major General and former chief operating officer of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid, Dr. Brown has ushered in what the university calls its "Renaissance Era." You can read more in Progress and Possibility in The Renaissance Era: Dr. Brown's Second Anniversary as President and CEO.

Tuskegee's legacy of service remains unmatched. It is the only HBCU with ROTC programs in all branches of the U.S. military, and the results speak for themselves: 70% of the Class of 2026 graduated in May already employed in their chosen career fields, accepted to graduate school, or departing for assignments as newly commissioned military officers.

As the nation celebrates its founding, Tuskegee University celebrates 145 years of honoring its past and investing in its future. Learn more about the university and its president at tuskegee.edu.