Organizations & Institutions CLCV 224

American Missionary Association (AMA)

Founded in 1846 by abolitionists, the AMA was dedicated to ending slavery, promoting racial equality, and spreading Christian education. After the Civil War, it played a major role in establishing schools and colleges for freed African Americans across the South.

Freedmen’s Bureau (Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands)

Created by Congress in 1865, the Freedmen’s Bureau helped formerly enslaved people transition to freedom after the Civil War. It provided food, housing, medical aid, legal assistance, and helped establish schools. It also tried to protect the rights of Black Americans in the Reconstruction South.

Howard University

Founded in 1867 in Washington, D.C., by the Freedmen’s Bureau and named after General Oliver O. Howard, the university was created to educate newly freed African Americans. It became one of the most prestigious historically Black universities (HBCUs) in the U.S., known for producing Black leaders, scholars, and professionals.

Tuskegee University

Established in 1881 in Alabama by Booker T. Washington with support from the AMA, Tuskegee focused on industrial and vocational training for African Americans. It later became a major center for higher education and research, notably home to George Washington Carver’s agricultural innovations and the Tuskegee Airmen program.

Atlanta University (now part of Clark Atlanta University)

Founded in 1865 by the AMA in Atlanta, Georgia, it was one of the first graduate institutions to award degrees to African Americans. The university was a key center for Black higher education and civil rights activism. In 1988, it merged with Clark College to form Clark Atlanta University.