Hampton University

Hampton University

Hampton University is a private historically black university in Hampton, Virginia. It was founded in 1868 by black and white leaders of the American Missionary Association after the American Civil War to provide education to freedmen.

It is home to the Hampton University Museum, which is the oldest museum of the African diaspora in the United States, and the oldest museum in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

In 1878, it established a program for teaching Native Americans that lasted until 1923.

In 1984, after a nine-month study of Hampton Institute's rapid growth and development in quality of students, faculty and academic offerings, the recommendation was made to change the name to Hampton University.

The University became a National Historic Landmark in 1974.