7.3 Reconstruction Era: African American Advancement

Reconstruction Era: African American Advancement

Overview

  • The Reconstruction Era, particularly between 1867 and 1877, provided a crucial window for African Americans to advance their society.

Education

  • Background:
    • Education was largely forbidden to enslaved African Americans.
    • Educated slaves were perceived as less productive and more prone to rebellion.
  • Freedmen's Bureau:
    • Established in late 1865.
    • By 1867, it operated approximately 4,500 schools serving around 250,000 students.
    • Adults attended evening classes, highlighting a strong desire for education.
    • Education was viewed as a means to ensure civil rights for future generations.
  • Universities and Colleges:
    • Fisk University:
      • Founded in January 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, by three African American ministers.
    • Howard University:
      • Opened in Washington in March 1867.
    • Tuskegee Institute:
      • Established in July 1881 in Alabama by Booker T. Washington.
    • These institutions played a pivotal role in cultivating leaders within the African American community.

Political Participation

  • Increased Opportunities:
    • The Reconstruction Act of 1867 enabled African Americans to vote, leading to over 600 freedmen being elected to state and local offices.
    • These officials aimed to improve life for African Americans and the South in general.
  • Congressional Representation:
    • Sixteen Black politicians were elected to seats in Congress.
    • Hiram Revels:
      • A Methodist minister from South Carolina.
      • Elected to the US Senate seat previously held by Jefferson Davis.
    • Blanche K. Bruce:
      • A former slave from Mississippi.
      • The first African American elected to a full six-year term in the US Senate.
  • State Government Initiatives:
    • Republican-led state governments implemented programs to aid the South's recovery.
    • African American officials developed programs focused on reinvesting in society.
    • Initiatives included state-funded public schools, hospitals, prisons and orphanages.
    • Laws were enacted to combat discrimination against blacks under the Black Codes.
    • Infrastructure such as railroads, bridges, and public buildings were rebuilt.

Churches

  • Establishment of New Churches:
    • African American ministers and communities founded numerous churches.
    • Many Baptist churches were established exclusively for African Americans.
  • African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church:
    • Founded in Philadelphia in 1787.
    • Expanded into the South after the Civil War.
    • Its mutual aid society supported former slaves in building community and provided spiritual and physical assistance.
  • African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
    • Founded in the early 1800s in the North.
    • Focused primarily on education in the South post-Civil War.
    • Established several colleges and collaborated with the Freedmen’s Bureau in staffing schools.

Literature

  • Documenting the Slave Period:
    • African American authors began to write about the period of slavery.
    • Ensured the realities of slavery would be preserved for future generations.
  • Key Authors and Works:
    • Charles W. Chestnut:
      • Raised in North Carolina.
      • Wrote stories depicting the greed and cruelty of the slavery system in plantation settings.
    • Harriet Jacobs:
      • Born in North Carolina, escaped to the North.
      • Wrote for Frederick Douglass' North Star newspaper.
      • Authored "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl", a truthful account of slavery.
      • Involved in the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Music

  • Continued Importance:
    • Music remained significant for African Americans after slavery.
  • Spirituals:
    • The spiritual originated with the slaves and remained an important musical form.
    • Fisk Jubilee Singers:
      • From Fisk University, they traveled extensively to share African American music.
      • Raised funds to support the expansion of their college.
    • Hampton College:
      • A singing group from Hampton College in Virginia also toured the country.
      • Increased the popularity of spirituals.

Land Ownership

  • Acquisition of Land:
    • Some African Americans were able to purchase land after the Civil War.
    • By 1870, approximately 139,000 African Americans owned property in the former Confederate States.
  • Economic Impact:
    • Land ownership facilitated economic advancement.
    • Sharecropping often trapped freedmen in cycles of debt, resembling slavery.

Conclusion

  • Improvements During Reconstruction:
    • Significant improvements in the quality of life for African Americans during the Reconstruction era, particularly when Union troops protected civil rights.
  • Reversal After 1877:
    • The withdrawal of Union troops in 1877 led to the erosion of these improvements.
    • Former slaves often experienced conditions not much better than those during slavery.
  • Cultural Impact:
    • The Fisk Jubilee Singers played a crucial role in popularizing Negro spirituals.