This dissertation is a qualitative study that chronicles the development of public schooling in Georgia and uses interviews to focus on the perspectives and meaning that 11 retired African American public school teachers associated with their experiences as teachers and students between 1930 and 1970. A tape recorder and field notes were used to record the interviews. The participants' stories were transcribed and reconstructed into portraits. Data analysis consisted of organizing data into coded sections using the Ethnograph Version 4, qualitative data analysis computer software. These data were then analyzed using the phenomenological approach as the dominant method of analysis. In interviews participants expressed how they dealt with school issues before and after desegregation. In the portraits they questioned some of the assumptions and conclusions found in traditionally negative historical literature about African American teachers and reported specific success stories to support their claims. The participants offered their perspectives on themes such as: African American teacher pedagogy, teacher training, community and family influence, and the structure and character of segregated and desegregated schools.