The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935

The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935 examines the development of education for African Americans in the post-Civil War South. Anderson documents the efforts of freed people to establish schools and institutions of learning despite resistance from white Southerners. The book traces multiple educational movements, including industrial education championed by figures like Booker T. Washington, and classical liberal education advocated by W.E.B. Du Bois. Through primary sources and statistical data, Anderson reconstructs the political and social forces that shaped black education during this period. The text details the roles of Northern philanthropists, Southern whites, and African American communities in building and controlling educational institutions. It explores the Hampton-Tuskegee model of industrial education and its impact on the broader landscape of African American schooling. This work presents education as a critical battleground in the struggle for power, self-determination, and racial equality in the post-Reconstruction South. Anderson reveals how competing visions of black education reflected deeper conflicts about the place of African Americans in American society.

Readers describe this as a detailed examination of African American education that challenges common narratives about northern philanthropists and presents evidence of Black self-determination in building schools and educational systems. Readers appreciated: - Extensive primary source research and documentation - Focus on Black community initiatives and agency - Analysis of industrial education's political/economic context - Clear writing style that remains accessible despite academic content Common criticisms: - Dense academic prose in some sections - Limited coverage of women's roles - Some readers wanted more details about classroom practices Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 4.24/5 (246 ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (68 ratings) One reader noted: "Anderson shows how African Americans worked to create their own educational opportunities rather than passively receiving charity." Another mentioned: "The archival research is impressive but parts read like a dissertation." The book maintains strong academic citations, appearing on many university reading lists for education and African American studies courses.

Their Highest Potential by Vanessa Siddle Walker Chronicles the segregated schooling system of a rural Georgia community from 1920-1970 through records and interviews with teachers, students, and administrators.

Self-Taught by Heather Andrea Williams Examines how enslaved and newly emancipated African Americans fought to create educational opportunities during and after the Civil War.

Too Much Schooling, Too Little Education by Mwalimu J. Shujaa Traces the philosophical and historical divide between traditional public education and African American educational traditions from slavery through the twentieth century.

Jim Crow's Children by Peter Irons Documents the legal battle for educational equality from Plessy v. Ferguson through Brown v. Board of Education and its aftermath.

The Education of Black People by W.E.B. Du Bois Presents ten speeches and essays spanning forty years that outline Du Bois's evolving philosophy on African American education and empowerment.

🎓 James D. Anderson became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in the history of education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he later served as dean. 📚 The book challenges the long-held belief that northern white philanthropists were primarily responsible for black education in the South, revealing instead that African Americans were the primary creators and funders of their own schools. 💰 Former slaves contributed over $1 million (approximately $25 million in today's money) to build schools through self-help initiatives in the decades following the Civil War. 🏫 Hampton Institute's "industrial education" model, promoted by Booker T. Washington, was actually designed to limit Black economic and political advancement rather than promote it. 📝 The research for this groundbreaking book took over ten years to complete and drew from previously unexplored primary sources, including records from Black churches, testimonies of former slaves, and documents from African American organizations.