Visions of Freedom: Community
During Reconstruction, formerly enslaved African Americans expressed their freedom by taking control of their own educational, religious, economic, and social lives. Independent institutions, including churches, schools, businesses, and associations, provided infrastructure for African American communities and refuge from white oppression. They also served as bases for political activism and leadership training.
Black Entrepreneurship During Reconstruction
Penny Savings Bank, Birmingham, Alabama, 1890
Black-owned businesses were central to the development of African American communities in urban areas after the Civil War. These enterprises provided services like banking, insurance, real estate, and publishing, and included, among others, blacksmiths, barbers, dressmakers, and undertakers. As racial segregation became entrenched during the late 1800s, Black business districts expanded and thrived in southern cities such as Richmond, Atlanta, and Memphis.
Louvinia Price
Louvinia Price
Bodice made by Louvinia Price
Born enslaved in Alabama, Louvinia Price (1857–1934) worked as a dressmaker after gaining her freedom. This silk moiré bodice is part of an ensemble that is believed to have been made by Price for a former employer, who later returned it to her. Lucy Cordice, also a designer and dressmaker, inherited it from Price, her grandmother.
Peter Simmons
Wrought Ironwork by Peter Simmons
Born into slavery in South Carolina, Peter Simmons (1856–1955) learned the blacksmith’s trade from his father. Simmons later opened his own shop in Charleston, where he trained young apprentices in the craft of ironwork. One of his apprentices, Phillip Simmons, became a highly skilled ironworker celebrated for his metal gates and other iron pieces. Skilled Black craftsmen like Simmons played influential roles in Charleston’s political, economic, and cultural life.
Robert Reed Church
Robert Reed Church, Sr.
Solvent Savings Bank
Born enslaved in Mississippi, Robert Reed Church Sr. (1839–1912) moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1865 with his wife, Louisa. The couple became successful entrepreneurs, opening beauty parlors, a saloon, a restaurant, and a hotel. During the 1866 Memphis Massacre, Church was shot by a white mob that attacked his saloon. Refusing to be intimidated, he increased his investment in the city by building Church’s Park and Auditorium, the first major African American-owned urban recreational center in the nation.
An Enterprising Spirit
African American artisans, inventors, and entrepreneurs who achieved financial success helped open doors for others. Black-owned businesses provided goods, services, and employment for the community. Many businesses that operated in Black neighborhoods also served as sites of social interaction.
