African-American Education

Throughout history, African American weren’t considered the smartest race on earth. With slavery and being for bided to ever touch or learn to read a book, African American became the race that envy having an education. Education became a prime factor in the African American culture. Having an education to an African is having the one-way ticket out of the terrible streets. They believe that if they don’t know nothing they won’t get nothing. In other word, if they aren’t educated their life would remain the same. Way back to slavery, African American would be beaten if they were to open a book and dare to read it instead of cleaning it.

For centuries African Americans have fought for equal rights, one of them being an opportunity for the chance to get an equal education. Many people believe that African Americans have an equal or better chance at getting an education than other students. This is not the case when in fact, it is actually harder for these three reasons: African American students tend to come from harsh, poverty stricken atmospheres. Shattered family lifestyles that make it difficult to pursue a higher education because they have not received the proper information. Secondly, just because African Americans are minorities does not mean that they receive a vast amount of government assistance or financial aid to pursue a higher education. Lastly, African

It was through this ignorance among that of education that they were kept slaves which Douglass realized when Hugh Auld ordered his wife Sophia Auld to stop teaching him how to read. Sophia Auld was kind in the beginning but later started treating Douglass bad. The reason for this being that she wasn’t exposed to an environment where slaves were treated that way, but once she was exposed to the environment she became desensitized and took advantage of that and started Douglass as if he were only property. Sophia Auld would be placed in the fifth circle which is where those who were wrathful and harvested a lot of anger were

Even though the whites didn't want slaves to learn and be smart because they feel like they'll try to escape, so they punished whoever tried to learn to much. Even though Frederick Douglass knew they would punish whoever tried to learn, he didn't care because he felt if he was smart enough to learn he can do anything and have the power.

It was not abnormal for an ex slave to continue to live on the same plantation he’d spent his life farming. These plantations were the only homes most slaves knew and thus were a safety zone despite the mistreatment many had received there. Though they spent the beginning of their free lives in the same places they spent the end of their slave lives, nearly every freedman’s life was changed by their new rights. The most important of these changes was the education the freedman could now receive. Rumored to be the biggest most important aspect of civilization, education was the ultimate goal to the slaves. The law that prohibited the education of slaves only increased their thirst for knowledge. When they finally were taught professionally, they took it more seriously than many of their white counterparts. Education was not simply a pastime or a necessary evil to the Freedman, but an object to be yearned for, and treasured when

The mission of the students around the country who fought for an education that would shed light on African Americans. The progress the students created is seen today in American Universities ,and also HBCUs, where (AAS)African American Studies is implemented into the curriculum. Before, the dissection the formation of AAS, it should be noted that without the sacrifice from others I undoubtedly would not be writing about AAS ,or reflecting on the significance it has created for generations so far.

In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the dehumanization of slaves often occurs, as white plantation owners view slaves as objects undeserving of humane treatment in order to uphold power and warrant their unjust practices. Limiting knowledge and prohibiting education for African Americans was one strategy common among slave owners, as “it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant” (17). Due to their lack of intellect, slaves could not recognize the injustices of the slavery system and had little chances of escaping. When Mrs. Auld attempts to teach Frederick Douglass how to read and write, Mr. Auld claims, “A n***** should know nothing but to obey

Historically black colleges and universities, otherwise known as HBCUs, have played an integral role in advancing the education of underprivileged black teenagers since their inception after the American Civil War. They have had students extremely well known in their fields today, such as billionaire entertainer Oprah Winfrey, the first African American Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. Though their graduation rates tend to be around 1 in 3, they have produced a majority of successful African American professionals. For the continued advancement of African Americans, HBCUs are necessary for offering educational opportunities that their students had been historically denied and presently out of financial reach, while promoting strong family values and equality that may be lacking at traditional schools and displaying positive African American role models in their alumni and staff.

One of the biggest problems Africans Americans faced in America is Segregation, discrimination, racism, prejudice, rebellion, religion, resistance, and protest. These problems have helped shape the Black struggle for justice. Their fight for justice marks a long sequence of events towards their freedom. Provisions of the Constitution affect the operation of government agencies and/or the latitude chief executives and legislatures in the creation and implementation of policies today. The rights and passage of Amendments granted to African Americans in the Constitution serve as a source of “first principles” governing the actions and policies of elected and appointed public servants across the United States. The 15th Amendment Equal Rights: Rights

Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave/civil rights activist states in his autobiography The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass: “(Mrs. Auld) assisted me in learning to spell words of three or four letters… (Mr. Auld) said, ‘if you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell… learning would spoil the best nigger in the world.’” Douglass eventually learns to read, and escapes. An article by a Harvard Student states: “Most White Southern slaveholders were adamantly opposed to the education of their slaves because they feared an educated slave population would threaten their authority. Williams documents a series of statutes that criminalized any person who taught slaves or supported their efforts to teach themselves.” This reveals how afraid masters were; they couldn’t bear to lose power. They were willing to dehumanize slaves as much as necessary to minimize their “threat” to

Introduction to African Studies this class has been one of the most challenging class I took at Bloomfield College during the summer but, one of the most rewarding class it took because in the beginning. I was timid to talk about U.S and including the Haiti history because in honesty I did not know much. It taught me when slavery started and how it started because of the Europeans wanted to trade with African people for their gold, spicy, leather and more of their resources but realize they could make the profit off them and made them into slaves and ship to America made them into their slaves.

Accordingly, harsh punishments were enacted if anyone was caught teaching a slave how to read. In turn, slave owners created a society where “It was dangerous to educate slaves” because “education made blacks dissatisfied with slavery” (236). This illustrates the immense power of knowledge as only an educated slave could discover an alternate world to slavery, which is exemplified with the use of the word “dissatisfied”. Slave owners recognize this power by ruthlessly attempting to keep the value of education away from their slaves despite their physical control over them. In addition, it was considered “dangerous to keep a [educated] slave” as they might “run away and [you would] lose your investment” manifesting the idea that only barrier standing in the way of slave from freedom is education (80). This illuminates that the power that emanates from the “whip” can’t suppress an educated slave as it exclusively relies on fear, but once educated there no longer exists the reason to fear. Moreover, the slave owners fear that they would lose their “investment”, portraying the idea that the slave owners can’t control their slaves through physical power. For example, Margaret and her husband “resent [Dana]” due to their “[lack of] education”, which is why “educated slaves aren’t popular” (80). Thus, Tom Weylin only despises educated slaves because of their threat to his authority emphasizing how education superior to the

A slave’s curiosity is ignored; his mental thirst is only quenched by insults and demands of strenuous physical tasks. Slave masters want the slave as mentally and intellectually ignorant so that their manipulation is that much easier. At its core, one of slavery’s chief objectives is to keep the slave mentally immature. (Channing pg. 34) One of the easiest ways to keep a slave ignorant and mentally immature is to deny them an education. Slavery and knowledge cannot coexist in any way. Knowledge is purely to the detriment of the institution of slavery. Slave masters knew that to truly keep the slaves under their control, they must not learn anything that didn’t come from the slave hands. The ignorance of the slaves is to the security of the slave masters; to enlighten the slave is to break his chains. (Channing pg. 67) The mental blocks set upon slaves by slave masters and the atmosphere brought on by the institution of slavery was the biggest chain the slaves were ever locked in.

Besides, the racial prejudices placed dominant whites as being superior or better as compared to the black slaves. Hence, the attaining of education for the blacks meant that they would occupy the same positions in the society, a factor that the white racists highly detested. Notably, the need for literacy became a crucial tool utilized by the black slaves who knew their enslavement would end if they enhanced their literacy levels. There is nothing more valuable than psychological freedom as reinforced by the aspect of literacy among the blacks. For example, the fight against slavery in the United States was not won by a physical war but rather through the war of wits, intellect, and literacy as enhanced by

Education in America has progressed through time in many different aspects, both in form but also of importance. In 1647, it was determined that education in America was a must. In these very early stages the focus was not so much about a well rounded education as it is today, but more so to be sure the children were able to read the bible and learn basic information about their religion. Even though advanced we being made in 1779, Thomas Jefferson implemented a two track education system. This system was set up so that not everyone was given the right to learn, only a few of the work force (Historical TImeline web). It is my opinion that this was the first sign of true power of education. As the year progressed forward we see again in the 1830’s that education is held from a certain group of people, those who were slaves. Frederick Douglas shared in his biography of the great struggle he had to endure to become educated. Much of his education was self education, because the white people of that time were forbidden to teach those who were thought of as less. Douglas shares, “it was unlawful, as well as undasge to teach a slave to read… it would forever unfit him to be a slave” (Douglas p. 20). This idea tells us, me, that education was know to have power, why else be afraid of helping all to learn and grow. Again, in 1864, it was illegal for native american children to be taught in their native language. To the point that they children would be removed from their families