Ninety years of struggle and success: African American history at the University of Kansas, 1870--1960

This dissertation explores the experiences of African Americans at the University of Kansas from 1920--1960, utilizing history that dates back to 1870. The research contends that Black students struggled and sacrificed much for education. In the late nineteenth century African Americans enjoyed many of the same privileges as Whites. However, in 1921, opportunities to participate equally as students decreased when Ernest H. Lindley became chancellor and the University succumbed to the border states' Jim Crow policies. The study ends in the McCarthy era with Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy who gradually desegregated KU and the Lawrence community. Little research has been done to document the early African American history at KU. This study not only reconstructs the history of African Americans at KU, but also considers their perspective and establishes their identity.;To determine what roles African Americans played in the history of the University of Kansas, four levels of research were conducted, putting primary and secondary research, and oral history into context. First, research in the University of Kansas Archives and Kansas Collection led to discovery. Researching chancellors' papers from Francis H. Snow to Franklin D. Murphy established the historical context. The chancellors' correspondence on race identified those Black students, who publicized their views, and who also wrote articles in the University Daily Kansan and the Dove protesting racism at KU. These discoveries provided insight as to what topics to explore. Second, after developing a list of students from primary resources, the University of Kansas Alumni Association was approached about the releasing names of Black alumni that still lived. They solicited Black alumni in the Kansas Alumni Magazine to share with me their experiences at KU. Many across the nation responded in generic surveys and provided additional names. After receiving over one hundred survey responses, I developed a narrower list of whom to interview. The third step involved interviewing over twenty former students. These interviews provided an African American perspective of life at the University beginning in the 1930s. Finally, additional research, using University enrollment, student records, and yearbooks, as well as revisiting the University of Kansas Archives and Kansas Collections, had to be done to corroborate stories.;Oral history and primary research constructed the history of African Americans at the University of Kansas. As participants in KU history, African Americans now share in the identity of the University. The narratives have confirmed that they did not have the same social opportunities as Whites and that they endured isolation. The struggle against racism began as early as the 1920s during Chancellor Lindley's tenure. He defended separation of the races. The struggle continued into the 1950s when Chancellor Murphy ameliorated race relations at KU, impacting the Lawrence community. In addition, the study reveals that an internal support system, as well as support from the Lawrence Black community and White liberals, contributed to the academic success of African Americans at KU.