Arnez, Nancy L.
Urban League News, May 1976
Abstract
the education of some slaves established a middle class within the
black population. By the beginning of the 19th century many ex-slaves
were able to establish their own business enterprises, using the skills
learned. This skilled group became the proponents of freedom for their
people and participated in the establishment of schools for black
children. Funds from various sources helped support the
institutionalization of the freedmen's educational system. Common
schools were first established, then high schools, and by 1868, the
school system was virtually completed. As the school system stabilized,
so did the methods and programs of instruction, and soon it became
apparent that higher education institutions were needed in order to
supply more teachers. Blacks played a large role in the establishment
of free public schools through their participation in politics. As
opportunities for political participation declined, black faith in
formal education grew, and the school population increased. Although the
move to equalize educational opportunity for black people extends from
the 1880's the fight to desegregate began in 1935 and led to the passage
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A little more than a century ago, it
was illegal to educate blacks, and today black people are still
struggling to enjoy the basic right to a quality education that all
other Americans enjoy.
