Talking to Books: Education during Reconstruction

After the Civil War, education became one of the most powerful tools for newly freed Black Americans and one of the most fiercely contested. Join me as I explore the rise of Black education during Reconstruction, from grassroots schools built by the Black community to the founding of the first Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Learn how freed people organized, taught, and funded early schools, often under threat of violence. I also touch on the role of the Freedmen’s Bureau and Northern missionaries, alongside the foundational influence of institutions like Howard.

Key voices like W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington helped shape the early debate around education’s role in Black advancement—and their visions still echo today.

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