American Teachers Association Explained

American Teachers Association
Predecessor:National Colored Teachers Association (1906–1907)
National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools (1907–1937)
Merged:National Education Association
Formation:1937
Merger:1966
Type:Professional association
Union

The American Teachers Association (1937–1966), formerly National Colored Teachers Association (1906–1907) and National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools (1907–1937), was a professional association and teachers' union representing teachers in schools in the South for African Americans during the period of legal racial segregation in United States. In 1954 the United States Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended legal segregation.

History

In 1906, at a meeting of the Negro Young Peoples Christian and Educational Congress, the National Colored Teachers Association was formed. In 1907, to reflect that many white teachers also worked in colored schools, the name was changed to the National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools (NATCS).[1] The members were dealing with segregated schools in the South, which had been established in law. Additional racial segregation and Jim Crow laws had been imposed by white-dominated legislatures in the late 19th century. In addition, blacks had been disfranchised since the turn of the 20th century by provisions of new constitutions and laws in the South. With blacks closed out of the political process, educators found that black public schools in the segregated states were historically underfunded, and their teachers were paid less than white teachers in white schools.

1923 was a pivotal year for the organization. Mary McLeod Bethune became its first female president[2] and it published its first edition of The Bulletin, the official magazine.[3] The magazine "was a bridge between the members of the Association, and it served to inform the public and interpret NATCS to those who did not attend the annual meetings".

The 1927 president was William J. Hale, the first president of Tennessee State University, a historically black university in Nashville, Tennessee.[4]

In 1937, members changed the name to the American Teachers Association (ATA).[5] The ATA worked jointly with the National Education Association (NEA) on issues related to African-American education.[6]

In 1926, an informal NEA committee was appointed to study issues in schools serving Black students. That began a period of cooperation between the two associations. Following the United States Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) that segregated schools were unconstitutional, public schools were gradually integrated after massive resistance. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited legal segregation of public facilities.

The ATA and NEA began to consider a merger in the early 1960s, as a result of changes in education and the civil rights movement. In 1963, the ATA voted a "qualified recommendation" in favor of merger, which was completed in 1966.[7] [8] The name of the merged association remained the National Education Association.

Purpose

The ATA did not support collective bargaining for its members. Instead, they sought to improve the status of education for African Americans in the South by:

Notable Members

External links

Notes and References

  1. Perry, Thelma D., History of the American Teachers Association (Washington, D.C.: National Education Association, 1975)
  2. Book: Sicherman. Barbara. Green. Carol H.. Notable American Women: The Modern Period : a Biographical Dictionary. registration. 27 April 2013. 1980. Harvard University Press. 9780674627338. 78–.
  3. Book: Jones-Wilson, Faustine C.. Encyclopedia of African-American education. 27 April 2013. 1996. Greenwood Publishing Group. 9780313289316. 318–.
  4. News: Black History Month: William J. Hale a leader in education. December 18, 2017. The Tennessean. February 6, 2014.
  5. Book: Tillman, Linda C.. The SAGE Handbook of African American Education. 27 April 2013. 2009. SAGE Publications. 9781412937436. 71–.
  6. Web site: Guide to the National Education Association-Special Collections records. April 1, 2013.
  7. News: Walter Ridley, 86, Who Broke Color Barrier to Get Ph.D., Dies. Thomas. Robert McG. Jr.. 3 November 1996. The New York Times. 51. 27 April 2013.
  8. News: NEGRO TEACHERS FAVOR N.E.A.LINK; But National Group Qualifies Its Support for Merger 'Glaring Lack' of Negroes Formed as Protest. Terte. Robert H.. August 4, 1963. The New York Times. 71. 27 April 2013.
  9. Book: Binheim. Max. Elvin . Charles A. . Women of the West: A Series of Biographical Sketches of Living Eminent Women in the Eleven Western States of the United States of America. 1928. Los Angeles . Publishers Press. August 6, 2017.
  10. News: 1990-02-15 . Educator Eva C. Mitchell . 2024-02-01 . Daily Press . 24 . Newspapers.com.