The Cross, the Candle, and the Crown: A Narrative History of Morehouse College, 1867-2021

In 1866, Edmund Turney, Richard Coulter, and William White believed that African American men--some free, others just out of bondage; some literate, many others illiterate--could be educated to serve their people. The idea came to fruition in 1867 when Augusta Theological Institute was opened in the sanctuary and balcony of Springfield Baptist Church. The school met the challenges of the late nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century and was eventually named Morehouse College in 1913, now located in Atlanta, Georgia. The beliefs and dreams of the founders of Augusta Theological Institute in 1867 have developed into a world-class institution of higher education primarily for black men in keeping with its original mission but which is also open to men of all races and ethnicities. Morehouse did not develop in isolation but in conjunction with other colleges. Since 1965, when the Higher Education Act became law, Morehouse has been identified as an HBCU.

Marcellus Chandler Barksdale is a graduate of Morehouse College, Atlanta University, and Duke University. He began his teaching career in the public schools of Gainesville, Georgia. Barksdale has taught at Emory University and was a professor of History and Africana Studies at Morehouse College for forty years. He is the author of BLACK GEORGIANS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. His scholarship appears in journals and book chapters, and he is a member of organizations in his disciplines.