The Value of Education

Whether enslaved or free, African Americans—like so many Americans—viewed education as the key to changing their status. Communities banded together to build and support public schools. When acquiring an education was illegal, African Americans labored together and alongside white abolitionists to establish institutions of higher learning.

After the Civil War, the government laid the foundation for public education for all citizens. However, the end of Reconstruction hastened a return to localized control of segregated school systems in the South; thus Reconstruction's initial progress was soon halted. In 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson solidified the practice of “separate but equal” education. Separate public education for African Americans was limited to elementary schools, which often possessed inadequate facilities. These schools also received fewer and inferior resources, including used, outdated books and audio visuals. Despite these and other obstacles, African Americans sought education—from basic reading and writing to advanced intellectual pursuits—and established colleges and universities to ensure a stellar legacy of achievement.