Texas Southern University
University, Houston, Texas, United States
External Web sites
Britannica Web sites
Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- Texas Southern University - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Texas Southern University is a public institution of higher education in Houston, Texas. A historically black university, it was founded as Texas State University for Negroes in 1947 (replacing Houston College for Negroes). The university was established after Heman M. Sweatt, a black postal worker from Houston, was denied admission to the University of Texas School of Law because of his race. Sweatt sued the state, which responded by founding a "separate but equal" law school and university for African Americans. The university took its present name in 1951. In 1973 it began emphasizing programming on urban issues. Total enrollment is approximately 10,000 students, the great majority of whom are African American. Most of the students are undergraduates.