The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935

By: James D. Anderson

Narrated by: Bill Andrew Quinn

James Anderson critically reinterprets the history of southern Black education from Reconstruction to the Great Depression. By placing Black schooling within a political, cultural, and economic context, he offers fresh insights into Black commitment to education, the peculiar significance of Tuskegee Institute, and the conflicting goals of various philanthropic groups, among other matters.

Initially, ex-slaves attempted to create an educational system that would support and extend their emancipation, but their children were pushed into a system of industrial education that presupposed Black political and economic subordination. This conception of education and social order - supported by Northern industrial philanthropists, some Black educators, and most Southern school officials - conflicted with the aspirations of ex-slaves and their descendants, resulting at the turn of the century in a bitter national debate over the purposes of Black education. Because Blacks lacked economic and political power, white elites were able to control the structure and content of Black elementary, secondary, normal, and college education during the first third of 20th century. Nonetheless, Blacks persisted in their struggle to develop an educational system in accordance with their own needs and desires.

©1988 The University of North Carolina Press (P)2021 Tantor

Comprehensive, insightful, historical masterpiece!

This book is one of the best educational history books chronicling the education of Black people in America, If you want to know why the current educational system looks the way it does today, read this book.

Should be required for history curriculum

In this Era of anti-wokeness, this should be incorporated into every school's history curriculum.

The evidence of the historical dilemmas of racism

Fact check in how much education was withheld..from authentic historical data and why it is still being withheld…

Important history to understand current events

Unfortunately for the United States we are still at war over the education and inclusion of African Americans.

One of the most important American History books you’ll ever read

This book should be a required read for anyone interested in black history, educational history, or American history. After reading this book you will have a new perspective of the current state of education in the U.S.

Against all Odds

A must “listen.”This historical narrative, while at times hard to hear, the at times overwhelming numerous injustices afflicted upon humans, fighting for what they thought would be a natural consequence of the 15th US constitution amendment! History is seen through the lens of HBCs (Historically black colleges) and barriers southern black families encountered trying to install separate public school system for their children. The role northern philanthropists played in dictating curriculums that served their financial goals opposed to a liberal democratic equitable education for freed southern blacks was demonstrated through the “Hampton-washington” model requirements. Money would only be donated if strict compliance to only an industrial -horticulture curriculum aimed at producing laborers for their southern businesses. The southern and northern US historical-time period, 1860-1935, is portrayed in a non biased perspective that represents the true meaning of the challenges faced by powerless groups trying to achieve a democratic outcome in schooling. This injustice, unfortunately may continue if we as citizens remain neutral or prefer to distort or ban certain history from our current educational institutions.

Should Be Required Reading

I am so pleased that I stumbled on this book. It clearly documents all the efforts that were made to annihilate Black progress. Black progress was driven by a thirst for education that began long before the end of enslavement. Stifling college prep education was seen as the #1 tool to control our circumstances and relegate us to a permanent under class in the American caste system. This volume is so easy to follow and well narrated that I have already listened to it twice. I will continue to listen to it because I keep picking up on different things to research further with each listen. If we can't have an AP African American History course without illegal drama trying to derail it, at least we have self study using books like this one. Bravo!! 10,000 stars.