Georgia's state legislature chartered Atlanta University in 1865 as a primary school to teach freed slaves reading and writing. The American Missionary Association and the Freedman's Bureau supplied funds to the school according to BlackPast.org. Atlanta University quickly evolved into an educational hub in the South during the Reconstruction Era by offering Bachelor's degrees in education and library sciences. The university trained teachers, librarians and school administrators who worked at grammar schools throughout the Deep South.
Atlanta University advanced its curriculum to graduate education starting with its hiring of W.E.B. DuBois in 1896. The civil rights leader and co-founder of the NAACP was responsible for promoting liberal education among Atlanta University students even as black students were expected to seek vocational training. The university opened graduate schools in library science (1941), education (1944) and business administration (1946). The school absorbed students, teachers and graduate curricula from the Atlanta School of Social Work starting in the summer of 1947.
Atlanta University's downtown campus put the school within walking distance of other historically black colleges and universities. Atlanta University developed a partnership with Spellman College and Morehouse College on April 1, 1929 called the Atlanta University System, allowing for greater coordination between undergraduate and graduate programs. The Atlanta University System gave way to the Atlanta University Center (AUC) in 1957. The AUC features the three members of the Atlanta University System as well as Morris Brown College, the Interdenominational Theological Center and Clark College.
Atlanta University's graduate programs and its role as a leading Southern college attracted great minds like Walter Francis White, Ralph Abernathy and James Hefner. Walter Francis White graduated from Atlanta University in 1916 before becoming a longtime leader within the NAACP. Ralph Abernathy graduated with a Masters in Social Work in 1951 before working with Martin Luther King Jr. in the SCLC. James Hefner completed a Masters in Economics in 1962 before becoming a university administrator at Tennessee State University, Jackson State College and Morehouse College.
Atlanta University and fellow AUC member Clark College negotiated a merger for July 1, 1988 due to economic struggles. Both Atlanta University and Clark College experienced lowered enrollments as well as budget shortfalls in the early to mid-1980s. The newly created Clark Atlanta University emerged as a four-year, liberal arts university that combined Clark College's undergraduate programs with the graduate and professional programs of Atlanta University. The Clark Atlanta University incorporates Atlanta University's coat of arms as well as its motto, "I'll find a way or make one."