Free Black Adult Education before the Civil War.

Although the first black organization chartered in the United States, the Free African Society, was chartered in 1787, education for free blacks was largely a 19th-century phenomenon. By the time the Civil War broke out, black adults outside the South had established social structures that offered them education in civic, intellectual, and spiritual forms. However, such education was accessible only to those who were economically secure enough to have the time and initiative to take advantage of it. From churches and other organizations such as clubs and societies, free black adults were able to improve their education, learn to take pride in their cultural heritage, enhance their confidence and self-image, and develop consensus on appropriate behavior and living standards. Many societies helped them develop self-protection as the groups provided a means for collective action against laws and acts of violence toward blacks. The history of free black adult education demonstrates steady growth and an increasing complexity of organization from the late 1700s to 1860. The organizations formed in this period offered a firm foundation for future development of black adult education in the latter half of the 19th century. (The document includes 17 references.) (CML)