Juneteenth Reminds Us of Black Americans’ Long Struggle for Education Following End of Slavery
Freed Black Americans built schools and HBCUs as literacy climbed from 10% to 30% in Southern states by 1880, historians said.
- On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned of the 13th Amendment, which Congress enacted on Jan. 31, 1865, abolishing slavery and marking the origin of Juneteenth.
- Fearing rebellion, South Carolina passed anti-literacy laws banning reading instruction, while Frederick Douglass, born in Maryland, described in his 1845 autobiography how Mrs. Auld was forbidden by her husband from teaching him to read.
- After the Civil War, newly freed people established schools in churches and homes to learn reading and writing. While about 90% of the Black population in Southern states were illiterate in 1865, this percentage dropped to 70% by 1880.
- In the 15 years following the Civil War, 59 HBCUs opened to Black students. Cheyney University in Pennsylvania and Howard University in Washington, established by Congress, offered programs in law, medicine, education, and pharmaceuticals.
- Regardless of their choices, the approximately 4 million formerly enslaved people challenged Americans to acknowledge their liberation and establish themselves as free citizens. Ultimately, Juneteenth offered a promise of freedom, but literacy remained essential to make it real.
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Juneteenth reminds us of Black Americans’ long struggle for education following end of slavery
This piece originally appeared in The Conversation. The abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass is known for many things, but perhaps among the most significant is his views on education’s relationship to slavery. Douglass himself was born into slavery in Maryland…
DETROIT – Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, is a celebration that marks the end of slavery in the United States. This holiday is celebrated on June 19th each year and originated in 1865, when General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that all slaves were free to run free. […] The post Juneteenth: What is it and why is it celebrated in the United States? appeared first on Latino Detroit.
Juneteenth reminds us of Black Americans’ long struggle for education following end of slavery - The Daily Chronicle
The abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass is known for many things, but perhaps among the most significant is his views on education’s relationship to slavery. Douglass himself was born into slavery in Maryland in 1818. Douglass described in his 1845 autobiography how one of his enslavers, Mrs. Auld, began teaching him to read when he was a child. Mrs. Auld’s husband ordered her to stop giving Douglass lessons. “Just at this point of my pro…
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States
Americans will observe Juneteenth on Friday, a federal holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and honors the long struggle for freedom and civil rights. Often called the nation’s “second Independence Day,” Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that more than 250,000 enslaved
The slavery that ended should never have happened
Juneteenth’s Unfinished Legacy By Diana Williams The slavery that ended should never have happened. Modern forced labor means it still hasn’t. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and issued General Order No. 3, informing the people of Texas that all enslaved people were now free. The Emancipation Proclamation had […]
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