Washington was born into slavery to a white father and a black slave mother on a rural farm in south-central Virginia; the slaves were freed in 1865. He attended Hampton University and Wayland Seminary. After returning to Hampton as an instructor, he was named in 1881 as the first leader of the new normal school (teachers' college) which became Tuskegee University in Alabama.

Washington was the dominant figure in the African American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915, especially after he achieved prominence for his Atlanta Address of 1895. To many politicians and the public in general, he was seen as a popular spokesperson for African American citizens. Representing the last generation of black leaders born into slavery, he was credible when speaking publicly and seeking educational improvements for those freedmen who had remained in the New South in an uneasy modus vivendi with the white southerners. Throughout the final 20 years of his life, he maintained this standing through a nationwide network of core supporters in many communities, including black educators, ministers, editors and businessmen, especially those who were liberal-thinking on social and educational issues. He gained access to top national leaders in politics, philanthropy and education, and was awarded honorary degrees.