Title: SCHOOLING AFRICAN AMERICANS
1SCHOOLING AFRICAN AMERICANS
- Reconstruction
- Redemption
- Booker T. Washington
- William Edward Burghardt Du Bois
2Political Economy
- RECONSTRUCTION
- 1863-Emancipation Proclamation announced the end
of slavery - 1865-Congress passed the 13th Amendment freeing
four million slaves (3.5 million in South) - 1866-14th Amendment passed giving full
citizenship to slaves upon its ratification in
1868 - 1867-North increased its influence in the South
with the 1st Reconstruction Act which gave
Congress more control over the Southern political
economy - 1870- 15th Amendment established right for black
males to vote-made black men the majority voters
in 5 southern states - 1877-Withdrawal of federal troops for the South
and the end of Reconstruction
3Political Economy cont
- REDEMPTION
- 1877-marks beginning of the Period of Redemption
- Local white supremacy laws were passed to
prohibit black people from using public
facilities such as parks, buildings, cemeteries,
railroad cars, rest rooms, etc - 1890-Mississippi established literacy and poll
tax requirements-deprived most black people from
voting and other states followed this plan - In Louisiana black voters were cut from 130,000
to 1,300 in a six year period - Successfully destroyed most of the advances made
by African-Americans during Reconstruction
4Schooling
- After Civil War there were no laws requiring
equal education for African Americans in the
constitution. - During Reconstruction freed men and women
constructed laws that included decisive wording
as shall regarding education. - 1867-Alabama freed men and Republicans enacted
constitutional laws providing revenue for
education - 1868-1870-Reconstruction laws enabled blacks to
make gains in public education. Higher
percentage of blacks than whites going to school,
longer school terns, higher teacher pay - 1875-White Democrats began to take control of the
black belt (Redemption). Freed men were driven
out of political offices. Governance of all
schools now in the hands of whites. - Black schools still developed with some success
because of 2 key factors - Black people could still votedangerous to tamper
with black public education if you wanted
(needed) the black vote - Black education was protected because of level
safeguards of equal funding that freedmen had
inserted in state constitution
5Schooling continued
- 1877-1887-percentage of black school age children
exceeded white and still longer school year
(84-86 days vs. 71-82) - 1890- Alabamas State Superintendent of Education
Solomon Palmer devised a plan due to 2 main
complaints - 1. Black schools received nearly all the areas
school funds while paying virtually no taxes - 2. Black pupils were not mentally advanced to
the point where they needed as much education as
white people, and therefore didnt need as much
money for school funds - 1890-House Bill 504 passed (Palmers Plan)
- Required State Superintendent to apportion the
public school fund according to the school-age
population. Authorized township trustees to
apportion funds as they deemed JUST AND
EQUITABLE
6Schooling Continued
After 1890 -1887-1897-significant decline in
education of blacks General enrollment and school
terms of black children as well as average pay of
black teachers came to a standstill or
decreased -1915 -Enrollment of white children in
public schools exceeded that of
black students -Average monthly pay of white
teachers doubled that of black
teachers -Approximately 60 of black schools
were privately owned. Large amount of money
was contributed by blacks above what they paid
in taxes
7Booker T. Washington
- Most prominent black leader from 1895-1915
- Founded Alabamas Tuskegee Institute after his
graduation from Hampton Normal School - Strong believer in education
- Emphasized pragmatic (oriented toward practical
thought or action) approach to work, traditional
morality. And industrial education - Believed that hard labor and the accumulation of
property were the keys to resolving all social
problems - Believed that respect and citizenship would come
to blacks in proportion to their accumulation of
property, education, and good jobs - Thought that if African Americans achieved
economic success, political and social gains
would automatically follow
8Washington cont
- Believed in Darwins theory of biological
evolution - Thought teachers at the Normal School should
remain free from politics and the discussion of
the race question and he publicly advised the
general black population to abstain from voting,
running for political office, or speaking out
against racial injustices - His Atlanta Compromise speech called for the
advancement of public education as a means to
bring blacks into useful employment, and economic
justification for education of blacks and an
argument aligned with the human capital theory
9William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B.)Du Bois
- Born and raised in Massachusetts. He was one of
50 blacks living in a town of 5000. Did not
experience much overt racism - Attended Fisk College (now University) in
Tennessee where he saw discrimination in forms he
never dreamed of. - First African American ever to receive his
Doctorate from Harvard - Became professor at Atlanta University teaching
history and economics - Saw racism as institutionalization and oppressive
in the US - Believed the race problem was one of ignorance.
Wanted to gain as much knowledge about this as
possible as to form a cure for color prejudice. - Thought assimilation(to take in and incorporate
as ones own) should be achieved through
self-assertion
10Du Bois cont
- Called for organized public protest, legal action
against racist institutions and higher education
for blacks - Believed in the higher education of a Talented
Tenth who could guide African Americans into
higher civilization. - 1906-1 of 25 members of the Niagara Movement.
The objectives of this group were to advocate
civil justice and abolish caste discrimination. - 1909-Niagara Movement was forced down by
opponents (rumored Washingtons followers). 24
of the members merged with some white liberals
and formed the NAACP (National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People) - Became editor-in-chief for 25 years of Crisis
Magazine, distributing the news of the NAACP and
policies. Only wrote of views that he felt could
Lift the coffin lid off his people.
11Ideology
- Conservative social philosophy which accommodated
white supremacy and racial segregation - Belief that industrial education and skilled
labor would serve as a means to overcome racial
and class discrimination - Darwins theory of biological evolution which
provided a rational explanation of the unequal
class distribution of wealth and political power
among racial groups - Oppression thought to be the natural process of
moral and cultural evolution (based on Darwins
theory of biological evolution) - Black people had only evolved to a cultural stage
that was thousands of years behind whites thus
their inferiority position was the natural order
of social evolution