The Lives of Freed people
Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington. You may be wondering why is their a list of common known presidents, under a blog for “The Lives of Freed people?” The reason being is that these three men weren’t only presidents but slave owners as well. Thomas Jefferson was known to be a “good” slave owner and George Washington left instructions in his will to free his own slaves following his death. It took decades for slaves to finally become free. But were they really free? African Americans still had restrictions and limitations to what they could and couldn’t do in society. And after they became free, what were they to do, where were they to go, were they safe from beatings and other brutalities?
The Freedmen’s Bureau ( pg. 533)
The main goal for the Freedmen’s Bureau was to help the freed people. Members of this organization helped blacks re-connect with their family members that had once been taken away, and even get legally married. They wanted to make sure that African Americans received fair trials, unlike the Dred Scott case. The organization set up churches and schools to help educate blacks. After all education is power, and that is what whites feared the most. That blacks could potentially become more powerful than whites and rebel. The Freedmen’s Bureau not only helped with education, churches, and families but also helped African American’s find land to settle on and helped them to find a job to support themselves. The Freedmen’s Bureau was successful in helping African Americans start over and make better lives for themselves, even if they still weren’t accepted by some southerners and northerners.
Economic Freedom by Degrees (pg. 534)
Congress failed to promise the 4o acres and a mule to the freed people, leaving them to become dependent on their ex- masters. Some signed contracts to work for money, yet they still were whipped if they didn’t work fast enough. It was like being a slave all over again. The freed people still had to work from sunrise to sunset and only received a certain amount of food every month. The only difference from being a slave was that they were now being paid. Other freed people chose to lease the land. Leasing allowed freedwomen to send their kids to school, instead of having them in the fields all day. Many freed people wanted to be independent and to escape from having an overseer overlooking them all day. This caused many to break the contracts, barter over their wages, and even burn barns. Tenant farmers were allowed more freedom and would sell their crop to a local merchant in return for renting land, tools, and other provisions. Do you think it was wise of freed people to return to their masters, or should they have just found a place and work on their own, and suffer through the hard times?
White Farmers during Reconstruction (pg 537)
Freed people weren’t the only ones who were struggling to survive. Both yeoman and poor white farmers were affected by the change in southern culture. Many feared that African Americans were to take farm land away from the. Due to the dependence of cotton, there was not much food crops, resulting in the reliance on merchants. Many poor white farmers were less productive than black sharecroppers, as far as growing corn and potatoes. Because of the competition between blacks and whites, many whites went to work in the cotton mills where they knew blacks were not accepted.
During these hard times many poor white and yeoman farmers turned to religion for guidance and support, while other stuck to their beliefs in white supremacy and joined organizations such as the KKK. Because many blacks feared and were persecuted from groups, such as the KKK, they too began to organize churches and schools of their own. Many black teachers replaced whites, many African American ministers tried to apply community leadership and oppose discrimination. They did this by going into politics, while other preachers focused on sin, salvation, and revivalist enthusiasm. All of their hard work paid off, because by 1870 there was a 20% gain in free black adult literacy, more than 1.5 million children attended school, with 28, 560 black teachers. African Americans achieved much for themselves during this time, but they still had other challenges to face. What other challenges do you think African Americans will have to face in the future?
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