Atlanta University Center (Ga.)

The Atlanta University Financial Records are a part of the Atlanta University Presidential Records series. The charter establishing Atlanta University was approved October 16, 1867. The University was part of the movement to educate Negroes at the end of the Civil War, and an extension of educational efforts spearheaded by freedmen and abolitionists, and was supported by black and white churches and organizations such as the American Missionary Association and the Freedmen's Bureau. The first students of the University began classes in April 1869 and by October 1869 there were eighty-nine students enrolled. By the 1920s the literacy rate improved and the University was able to phase out its pre-college level courses. In 1929, Atlanta University affiliated with Morehouse and Spelman Colleges in a cooperative plan to eliminate duplication in their educational programs. Under this plan, known as the Atlanta University System, Atlanta University devoted its resources to graduate and professional education. During the next six decades Atlanta University established graduate programs in Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Library and Information Science, and Social Work. On July 1, 1988, Atlanta University merged with Clark College to form Clark Atlanta University.

The Atlanta University Published and Printed Materials are a part of the Atlanta University Presidential Records series. The charter establishing Atlanta University was approved October 16, 1867. The University was part of the movement to educate Negroes at the end of the Civil War, and an extension of educational efforts spearheaded by freedmen and abolitionists, and organizations such as the American Missionary Association and the Freedmen's Bureau. The first students of the University began classes in April 1869 and by October 1869 there were eighty-nine students enrolled. In 1929, Atlanta University affiliated with Morehouse and Spelman Colleges in a cooperative plan to eliminate duplication in their educational programs. Under this plan Atlanta University devoted its resources to graduate and professional education. On July 1, 1988, Atlanta University merged with Clark College to form Clark Atlanta University.

The Atlanta University Photographs are a part of the Atlanta University Presidential Records series. The charter establishing Atlanta University was approved October 16, 1867. The University was part of the movement to educate Negroes at the end of the Civil War, and an extension of educational efforts spearheaded by freedmen and abolitionists, and organizations such as the American Missionary Association and the Freedmen's Bureau. The first students of the University began classes in April 1869 and by October 1869 there were eighty-nine students enrolled. In 1929, Atlanta University affiliated with Morehouse and Spelman Colleges in a cooperative plan to eliminate duplication in their educational programs. Under this plan Atlanta University devoted its resources to graduate and professional education. During the next six decades Atlanta University established graduate programs in Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Library and Information Science, and Social Work. On July 1, 1988, Atlanta University merged with Clark College to form Clark Atlanta University.

The Appeal set forth the student's grievances, rights, and aspirations as well as their dissatisfaction with the status quo conditions of segregation and discrimination and the slow pace at which inherent human and civil rights were being meted out to African Americans. The Appeal was published as a full-page ad in the March 9, 1960 editions of Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta Journal, and Atlanta Daily World. It was subsequently published in the New York Times, providing national awareness of student activism in the civil rights struggle in Atlanta. The issuance of the Appeal was followed by sit-ins and pickets at specifically targeted businesses, government and transportation facilities in Atlanta and Fulton County, Georgia and kneel-ins at churches. The Committee on Appeal for Human Rights also brought a civil lawsuit against the city of Atlanta that led to the opening of publicly funded recreational facilities to all citizens of Atlanta. The participants in the Atlanta student movement organized commemorative reunions in 1980, 1990 and 2000 to reexamine the civil rights movement and discuss current efforts and projections for the future. On March 31,2000 veterans of the Atlanta student movement issued a second "Appeal" noting that there is still much work to be done to achieve justice and equality for all Americans. The second "Appeal" was published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Atlanta Daily World, Atlanta Voice, and Atlanta Inquirer.