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Hampton University’s status as one of the premier HBCUs has long been established, with nearly 50 Bachelor’s degree programs, over two dozen Master’s degree programs, and nine doctoral programs. Hampton was founded on this day in 1868 as an instructional school for freed slaves in the wake of the Civil War.

Brigadier Union Army General Samuel Armstrong established the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Hampton, Virginia on a section of the Wood Farm known as “Little Scotland.” This area held significance for Black people as it served as a refuge during and after the Civil War.

Gen. Benjamin Butler established the Butler School for Negro Children with the help of a free woman, Mary Peake, in 1863. The Institute was founded just across from the Butler School. While Virginia still remained largely segregated, the Blacks-only institute began to grow in popularity. Students poured in by the hundreds, from all around the country.

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