Hayden Rawlins, Assignment 3

Adult Education of Former Enslaved People During the Post-Reconstruction Era (1880s) 

Hayden E. Rawlins 

Department of Educational Studies, Ball State University  

Dr. Bo Chang  

February 5, 2023 

History of Adult and Community Education 

 

 

Your Name	Commented On
Hayden Rawlins	TBD

 

  

 

INTRODUCTION 

“If you can’t read, it’s going to be hard to realize dreams” 

 Booker T. Washington 

The thirteenth amendment after the Civil War ended slavery for about 4 million African-Americans (Urban & Wagoner, 2013). After enslaved people in the South were declared “free”, a new battle began which included educational assimilation into a culture that formerly forbade an enslaved person to read or write. At this time in American history, an entire population a newly freed African-Americans were in need of an education and one that would help them acclimate in their right to freedom by way of education. Education can often serve as the bridge that connects unfortunate circumstances to a brighter future. During this period of time, known as the reconstruction era (1863-1877), there was strong desire of former enslaved people to learn (Urban & Wagoner, 2013). This was confirmed in the first report in the Freedman Bureau’s schools in 1866. The Freedman Bureau took part in education of Black Americans in the South and included a vast network of reading, writing, and industrial schools that were in order on nights and Sunday’s; the combined enrollment by the end of the bureau was approximately 247,000 students and by the end of the reconstruction era, the Compromise of 1877 campaign aimed to grant social equality to Black Americans (Urban & Wagoner, 1877). By 1881, a man by the name of Booker T. Washington organized a secondary and normal school which became known as Tuskegee Institute (now known as Tuskegee University). Washington’s believed that in order for Black American’s to be successful, they must establish a sense of racial pride, become responsible citizens, and engage in useful service (Urban & Wagoner, 2013).  By now, a new vision of education for Black Americans existed as the Tuskegee Institute prioritized skilled trades and dignity in labor. 

HIGHLIGHTS 

The trends and focus on the Tuskegee Institute after its organization in 1881 included teaching Black Americans marketable skills that would allow them to become self-sufficient in a Nation build to favor whites. Urban and Wagoner in History of American Education state that Washington chose to work behind the scenes to improve conditions for African Americans as opposed to openly protesting and calling out racial discrimination. In many ways, one could view Washington as the type who chooses to blossom in private and then make a comeback better than anyone could have expected; it could be the sweetest forms of revenge – to come back better. Washington’s philosophy was to create a better life through hard work and education. This notion, of course, sparked controversy among other Black educators who criticized Washington’s position of “submission and silence” of issues and injustices which plague Black Americans particularly in the South (Urban & Wagoner, 2013). 

In the context of adult education, Booker T. Washington strived to develop programs that addressed the concerns that impacted newly freed enslaved people with little to no formal education. The Tuskegee Institute, an example of adult education for Black Americans, opened with thirty students, most of whom were teachers (Gyant, 1988). The primary study at Tuskegee was industrial education for both sexes while other courses included English, reading, mathematics, history, government and law, science, philosophy, music, and religion (Gyant, 1988). Washington wanted to make a way for Black Americans to gain accomplishment through their own labors and hard work as opposed to conforming to the norms of the typical white American. He wanted learners to feel a sense of pride and be able to do for themselves and depend only on themselves. An example of this lays in one of the conferences Washington attended called the Tuskegee Negro Conference where the purpose of the conference was to teach Black Americans how to secure their own homes and property, improve their life-style and quality of life, and gain better educational advantage (Gyant, 1988). Washington believed that to compete for justice, people must be trained and their training must be determined by the job market (Hamilton & Denton, 1993). These practical skills that met individuals where they are if what ultimately helps them gain an advantage in an oppressive nation.  

INFLUENCIAL FACTORS 

One of Washington’s greatest critics and challengers and this man was W.E.B. DuBois (the first Black person to receive a PhD at Harvard University). DuBois challenged Washington’s views on Black education and accused Washington of being too submissive of the injustice faced by Black Americans. DuBois on Education by Eugene F. Provenzo Jr. sheds light to the educational philosophies of W.E.B DuBois and its stark contrast to the philosophies of Booker T. Washington.  

WEB DuBois believed that Black Americans should fully develop their talents and have the opportunity to earn degrees. He stated in his book, Of the Training of Black Men, that Black Americans must maintain the standards of popular education and help in the solution of problems of race contact and cooperation (DuBois, 2015).  It seems here that DuBois prioritizes competition with the dominant group as a means to prove oneself and lift oneself up in an environment which is made to work against you. Washington, on the other hand, prioritizes hard work as the cornerstone for success. To quote Dubois: 

I believed in the higher education of The Talented 10th who threw their knowledge of modern culture could guide the American Negro into a higher civilization. I knew that without this the Negro would have to accept white leadership and that such leadership could not always be trusted to guide this group and to self-realization into its highest cultural possibilities. Mr. Washington on the other hand believed the Negro as an efficient worker could gain wealth and that eventually through his ownership of capital, he would be able to achieve a recognized place in American culture and could then educate his children as he might wish to develop his possibilities (DuBois, The Talented Tenth). 

Both Washington and DuBois agreed that there was a need for Black Americans to become  literate, however, Washington advocated a hands-on external approach, DuBois promoted a patriarchal form of advancement of the Black race (Johnston & Watson, 2004). 

 

IMPLICATIONS 

During this timeframe and specifically looking at Booker T. Washington’s contributions to adult education for Black Americans, the main perspective we can learn is to invest where the greatest needs are. During this period in the post-reconstruction era, Black Americans were essentially cast into a new world without guidance, modern skills, education, or even the ability to know where to begin. I often view this period for Black Americans similarly to how we can view prison and define it as modern-day slavery especially since there is greater number of Black Americans in the prison system. When they get out and regain their freedom, it is often difficult to assimilate back into society without the tools, guidance, support, and passion to overcome oppressive challenges.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social Background	Decade following the reconstruction era marked by the Compromise of 1877. Black Americans were recently enslaved and now have a great need to assimilate into American culture post-slavery with no education or modernized skills.
Highlights	Educational philosophers’ debate and develop organizations to meet the needs of Black Americans who were recently, formerly enslaved. There are parallels here to modern day slavery in the form of higher rates of imprisonment for Black Americans.
Influential Factors	Booker T. Washington, The Tuskegee Institute, WEB DuBois, Reconstruction Era, Post-Reconstruction Era
Implications	Invest in areas where there is the greatest need in adult/community education. The greatest need may be dependent on the state of the Nation or society as a whole. Post slavery, the greatest need was to provide an education to former enslaved people so they could be successful in the new world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References 

Green, Dan S., 1977. WEB DuBois/s Talented Tenth: A Strategy for Racial Advancement. Journal of Negro Education, 46(3): 358-366. 

Gyant, L. (1988). Contributors to Adult Education: Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Alain L. Locke, and Ambrose Caliver. Journal of Black Studies, 19(1), 97–110. 

Hamilton, E., & Denton, V. L. (1993). Booker T. Washington and the Adult Education Movement. The Journal of Negro Education, 62(4), 513. https://doi.org/10.2307/2295524  

Johnston, K. V., & Watson, E. (2004). The W. E. B. Dubois and Booker T. Washington debate: Effects upon African American roles in Engineering and Engineering Technology. The Journal of Technology Studies, 30(4). https://doi.org/10.21061/jots.v30i4.a.10  

Provenzo, E. F. (2002). Du Bois on Education. Altamira.  

Urban, W.J., & Wagoner, Jr., J.L. (2013). American Education: A History (5th ed.). Routledge.  

DuBois, W. E. B. (2015). “Of the training of black men”, 1902. Illustrated Souls of Black Folk, 155–178.