Education during the slave period in the United States

[6] During the U.S. colonial period, several prominent religious groups both saw the conversion of slaves as a spiritual obligation, and the ability to read scriptures was seen as part of this process for Protestants.

[citation needed] Catholics saw the spiritual aspect differently, but black nuns decisively took up the charge of educating slaves and free persons in various regions, especially Louisiana (Henriette DeLille and her Sisters of the Holy Family), Georgia (Mother Mathilda Beasley), and the Washington DC area (Mary Lange and her Oblate Sisters of Providence, including Anne Marie Becraft).

Runaway Wallace Turnage "learnt" how to read and write "during that time [of his enslavement] and since [he] escaped the clutches of those who held [him] in slavery.

Despite the lack of importance generally given to writing instruction, there were some notable exceptions; perhaps the most famous of these was Phillis Wheatley, whose poetry won admiration on both sides of the Atlantic.

The colony's economy was heavily reliant on the cultivation of rice, indigo, and other cash crops, which depended on the labor of enslaved Africans.

Educating enslaved people was seen as disruptive to this economic model because it threatened to undermine the strict control that slaveholders exerted over their labor force.

Literate enslaved individuals could potentially gain access to abolitionist ideas, communicate more effectively with one another, or even forge passes, all of which posed significant risks to the stability and profitability of the plantation system.

For planters in South Carolinia, maintaining ignorance among the enslaved people was crucial to preserving their personal economic interests and ensuring that their workforce remained compliant and manageable.

South Carolina immediately passed the laws the following year prohibiting the educating of enslaved people.

This legislation was a response to growing fears among plantation owners concerning the spread of abolitionist materials, forged passes, and other writings that might encourage enslaved people to think about the idea of freedom.

'"[13] The most oppressive limits on slave education were a reaction to Nat Turner's Revolt in Southampton County, Virginia, during the summer of 1831.

The fears of slave insurrections and the spread of abolitionist material and ideology led to radical restrictions on gatherings, travel, and—of course—literacy.

[14] Not only did owners fear the spread of specifically abolitionist materials, they did not want slaves to question their authority; thus, reading and reflection were to be prevented at any cost.

Virginians "immediately, as an act of retaliation or vengeance, abolished every colored school within their borders; and having dispersed the pupils, ordered the teachers to leave the State forthwith, and never more to return.

Even North Carolina, which had previously allowed free African-American children to attend schools alongside whites, eventually responded to fears of insurrection.

In some large districts it was considered almost a phenomenon to find a Negro who could read the Bible or sign his name.” In Georgia, a study concluded that “outside of Savannah, Augusta and Columbus there were, it is said, not a dozen colored people able to read and write, and in the country places, perhaps not one.” [17] A Virginia politician in 1832 said publicly: "'We have as far as possible closed every avenue by which light may enter their [the slaves'] minds.

She ended up using her skills to write poetry and address leaders of government on her feelings about slavery (although she died in abject poverty and obscurity).

Through spirituals, stories, and other forms of oral literacy, preachers, abolitionists, and other community leaders imparted valuable political, cultural, and religious information.

Slates with carved writings were discovered near George Washington's estate at Mount Vernon,[21] indicating that enslaved individuals engaged in literacy activities despite the prohibitions against it.

[23] Even though mistresses were more likely than masters to ignore the law and teach slaves to read, children were by far the most likely to flout what they saw as unfair and unnecessary restrictions.

The schools would have an annual examination day to show the public, parents, and donors the knowledge the students had gained.

[27] In 1863, an image of two emancipated slave children, Isaac and Rosa, who were studying at the Free School of Louisiana, was widely circulated in abolitionist campaigns.