Chapter 4: Community
In the beginning of Chapter 4, the Plummer family seeks to find which family member?
Their formerly enslaved sister, Sarah Miranda, who was enslaved in Maryland and Washington, sold away from her family in 1860
What did William Calvin do to support his family after his father died?
He sold Newspapers, working for the U.S Government printing office
What did Jennie Dean do for the community?
She started a school for the Black youth in her area. There were 11k school-aged children who had no opportunity to continue their education beyond primary years. White virginians supported the idea of seeing Jennie's school as non-threatening. Jennie traveled often to network and speak to everyone to get the neccessary funding needed to start the school.
The Civil War opened a new era of American history called ____
The Reconstruction Era
Today many historians see Reconstruction quite differently. They view the destruction of slavery as the defining feature of the era
This book takes its title, Freedom Was in Sight!, from a line in the family history written by who?
This book takes its title, Freedom Was in Sight!, from a line in the family history written by Nellie Arnold Plummer. Born in 1860, Plummer told how her mother had bravely escaped slavery in Maryland in 1863, bringing along her five youngest children
What are the 3 main buildings new Black communities revolved around?
Church, school, and a lodge hall that served as community centers, places where people held meetings, ate meals, played music, and celebrated special occasions.
In 1870 and 1871, Republicans in Congress passed which laws to protect people's rights?
In 1870 and 1871, Republicans in congress passed laws to protect peoples rights under the 14th and 15th amendments, but many White Southeners responded to Black freedom with violence, setting Black schools and churches on fire
What did the members of the Colored Womens League try to do?
Improve alley housing conditions (a style of home built in an alleyway, often behind other homes). Alley houses were common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and were often home to working-class people and immigrants who worked with orphans and the elderly. I taught classes for girls and women on topics like literature, art, German language, sewing, gardening, and hygiene.
Why is the Washington, D.C., region special?
The Washington, D.C., region was special because it was the seat of the U.S. government, a growing urban area, home to a relatively large number of free Black people before the war, and a hub for the Black elite during Reconstruction. Yet, as readers will see, this region also featured all the fundamental dynamics that characterized the Reconstruction era elsewhere: the abolition of slavery, Black Americans’ efforts to create new lives in freedom, the onset of Black men’s enfranchisement, the bitter hostility of many white people to Black freedom, and the larger struggle to create a multiracial democracy.
Who was born enslaved in North Carolina, surviving the sexual advances of her enslaver, birthed two children, and spent seven years living in a tiny crawlspace while trying to escape bondage.
Harriet Jacobs
Why was it difficult to make a living for formerly enslaved people?
Workers refused to pay fair wages, if anything at all; their self-freedom was disturbed as Black women still experienced domestic violence and sexual assault in the workplace dealing with abusive employers.
Why were times rough during the economic crisis in 1873?
A lot of white people began to unfairly blame black people for crime and poverty. Which led to a violent increase in criminalization and police brutality of a force of white men who patroled the streets, lynching, and accusing Black men of rape and other racist allegations.
What happened in 1890 Mississippi?
The state adopted a state constitution that used literary tests and poll taxes to disqualify Black men from voting; other states soon followed suit. Lynchings became even more recurrent, and the outh started building a system of oppression called Jim Crow.
When the Civil War began, how much were enslaved people valued?
When the war began, enslaved people were valued at some 3 billion dollars, more than the combined worth of the nation’s railroads and manufacturing industries. The destruction of slavery during the Civil War, therefore, marked the beginning of an immense transition in U.S. history.
Who was the first female student at Wayland 1875?
Nellie Plummer, Washington, became one of the first few places to offer Black women jobs regardless of their talents or training. Black Americans came from all over to teach and attend school here. (They didn't allowed married women to work at the time)
What did former enslavers and white southerners do during the Reconstruction period?
White southerners fought back hard. Many turned to violence and intimidation to disempower Black voters and silence Black communities. Former enslavers also played a role in chasing and recapturing escaped slaves. It was clear that if federal authorities did not step in, Black Americans’ lives and livelihoods would remain at risk, their constitutional rights insecure if respected at all
Who was Richard Thomas?
In the instance of hearing his wife Regina report being raped by James Carroll, he ignored proper law authority and summoned his white neighbors to rally in mobs using violence to get what they wanted. Little was known about James except he was 24 years old, hardworking, and pleaded not guilty before his lynching by a white papers description of "Honest farmers" This was the start of many unlawful lynchings
What was Freedman's Villiage?
A community of Freedpeople who had settled on Arlington Platation that was taken by the government during the war. Many residents believed they had purchased the land from the government, becoming full owners. Only for white men to renig their property rights, calling them squatters, pushing the residents to move, and dismantling a Black town for white land development.
Which post slavery lodge is still standing today in Prince George County?
Abraham Hall, 1889, Rossville, Prince Georges County, MD
Why is Oliver O. Howard an important name to know?
During the housing shortage in Washington, Oliver who was the head of the Freedmens Bureau (a government agency that provided assistance to formerly enslaved people and impoverished whites in the United States after the Civil War), used this change to sell and rent out land to Black People, providing them lumber in exchange for monthly payments
Miranda's religious devotion gave rise to which church?
St. Paul's Baptist Church in Bladensburg! Members of the church also created a mutual aid society. The Bladensburg Union Burial Association
Why is the Compromise of 1877 important?
Many say it marked the end of the reconstruction era, but there were no clear changes. Reactionary forces were gaining strength; many lived in fear of a bad encounter with a police officer and had no protection from the law and court systems, who gave perpetuators get-away free passes, but continued to fight back and build institutions that sustain us in the future.
What is Storer College?
A very small school started in 1865 with a straightforward mission: to provide an education to former slaves. For 25 years, Storer College was the only school in West Virginia where any person of color could get an education beyond the primary level. It also served as a tourist location since many hotels did not accept Black guests until that was discontinued with the case of Plessy V. Ferguson ( landmark 1896 Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws)
What was the turning point in September 1864?
In September 1894, a speech by Frederick Douglass reflected the sense that the United States was at a turning point. Douglass was a respected elder, the most prominent Black American of his era.
In the post–Civil War years he mostly lived in Washington, where he held a variety of appointed positions in the federal government. He spoke out against police violence, disenfranchisement, and the Supreme Court’s narrow readings of the Reconstruction amendments. He also advocated for women’s right to vote!
Who is Richard Paige?
A Howard graduate who raised the issue of white men's sexual exploitation of Black women and girls, with white men continuing to practice rape believing that they'll never face consequences. He condemned white men who refused to acknowledge their mixed children and insisted that Black women were worthy and deserving of love.