With the exception of Cheyenne University of Pennsylvania, Lincoln University and Wilberforce University, all HBCU were established after the Civil War. Because at least 17 states denied land grants for the construction of black universities, the Morrill Act of 1890 was enacted, requiring states to allow the construction of African-American schools in states not allowing blacks into existing schools or risk having funds withheld.
The Higher Education Act of 1965 officially defined a HBCU as a historically black, state accredited college or university that was established before 1964 whose main purpose is to educate African Americans.
After the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, schools across the country were required by law to racially integrate, ushering in a new era of social, cultural and racial diversity in public and private secondary schools and universities.
Early HBCU were centers for African Americans to learn to read, write, and function as members of a hostile social environment.
Today, proponents of the HBCU experience contend that black students receive important opportunities and experiences not available at other schools, fostering ethnic pride, social support, and self-esteem, notes an "Education Encyclopedia"article by James Coaxum III. Students of predominantly black schools have expressed feelings of acceptance, encouragement and the safety to take intellectual and developmental risks.
Spelman College, a private women's college established in 1881, is ranked as the top HBCU in 2011 by "US. News & World Report." Based in Washington D.C., Howard University is a private four-year coed HBCU that offers both graduate and undergraduate degrees. Morehouse College, the all-male alma mater of Martin Luther King Jr., was ranked the top HBCU liberal arts college by "Washington Monthly" in 2010. Hampton, Fisk and Tuskegee universities continue to award hundreds of degrees to African-American students every year.