Introduction
Most slaves, prior to the Civil War, had no access to education. All southern states had made it illegal to teach slaves to read and write. Some learned because their master or mistress taught them to read and write. During Reconstruction, many realized that education was critical to the advancement of free people in this society. Many former slaves, being deeply religious, wanted to be able to read the Bible.
Many African Americans learned to read and write through the army. Contrabands -- that is, runaway slaves who are now living in camps or other areas protected by the army --had schools created for them by the army. At the end of the Civil War, Black communities band together and pay for the creation of their own schools. Northern aid societies also come down to help create schools. The Freedmen's Bureau also puts money into creating schools as well. Adults, as well as children, were attending the schools.
Many African Americans learned to read and write through the army. Contrabands -- that is, runaway slaves who are now living in camps or other areas protected by the army --had schools created for them by the army. At the end of the Civil War, Black communities band together and pay for the creation of their own schools. Northern aid societies also come down to help create schools. The Freedmen's Bureau also puts money into creating schools as well. Adults, as well as children, were attending the schools.
Tunis Campbell
Northern activist Tunis Campbell understood that one of the elements of free labor philosophy included education. He himself was an example of what education could do. So early on, he established schools for black children. He had been establishing schools, actually, since 1841 in the North.
Booker T. Washington(1868-1963)Booker T. Washington(1868-1963) was born a slave but rose to become one of the most influential intellectuals in Post-Reconstruction America. He advocated for accommodation. Accommodation means that individuals modify their activity to fit the requirements of the external social world. He simply urged African Americans to accept discrimination. More importantly, he advocated for self-help. He urged former slaves to get an education. He helped found the Tuskegee Institute. There, African Americans learned the crafts, industrial and farming skills, and the cultivation of the virtues of patience, enterprise, and thrift. Washington was convinced that by achieving these things, African Americans would be fully accepted by whites.
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W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963)Scholar and political thinker WEB Du Bois (1868-1963) disagreed with Washinton’s philosophy. Du Bois believed that those ideas would only perpetuate discrimination. WEB Du Bois advocated for political action. This resulted in him founding the NAACP. Additionally, he believed that a small group of college-educated elite intellectuals, whom he called “The Talented Tenth” would facilitate social change.
“The Negro Race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men. The problem of education then, among Negroes, must first of all deal with the “Talented Tenth.” It is the problem of developing the best of this race that they may guide the Mass away from the contamination and death of the worst.” |
The Black Middle Class After the Civil War
Education did eventually begin to create a black middle class. Watch the video to learn more about this
Unfortunately, segregated schools would rise in the United States due to Jim Crow Laws and hopes of an equal economic opportunity for all people would fade. In the court case of Cumming v Richmond board of education, the Supreme court would rule that segregated schools were legal. These segregated school were far from equal. Many lacked books, supplies and teachers. These ideas would not be changed until Brown v Board of Education in 1954.