On this day...

Answer key told me to approve only the following answers:

-Once enslaved Black people (hostages) participated at all levels of government.
-Funding of public schools for Black children
-The breakup of the plantation system led to redistribution of land
-14th and 15th
Amendments

Let’s address:

Yes, Black (men) were elected during “reconstruction.” Thousands.

Many of those Black men and their white allies were harassed, tortured, and murdered by supremacists.

See: Eutaw Massacre.

Also:

Oh and education during “reconstruction?” Whew.

I have so much to say. First, this is one of my favorite books.

Here’s why...

Freedmen's Bureau, a U.S. government agency (1865-1872), after the Civil War, was established to provide "provisions, clothing, temp shelter, and fuel, etc.” for freed “men.” The records they kept are TELLING.

They made a man named John B. Alvord “Inspector of Freed Schools.”

He set out to establish schools for Black children and discovered that over 500 schools were already in operation. He also realized that many of the schools were CLEARLY established prior to the end of slavery.

Like, cmon y’all.
Look at this breakdown.
Look at these attendance stats, despite ALL that we were facing.
In. One. Year.

This is directly from Alvord’s report.
While he uplifts some data...
A a lot of this feels so hauntingly familiar.

“Home influence and truancy.”
“Dull and stupid.”

Negating the apparent love for education. Refuting the evident hunger for knowledge, especially from US.

If you’re ever interested in reading Alvord’s full report...here it is.

It will fascinate and anger you, over and over again.

But despite these findings...the Bureau closed all Black schools and withdrew financial report. https://books.google.com/books/about/Semi_annual_Report_on_Schools_for_Freedm.html?id=k0BLAAAAYAAJ

And when we tried to open our own schools, knowing our children wouldn’t receive the same resources, the bureau “complained about the tendency of ex-slaves to prefer sending their children to Black-owned —schools.”

Redistribution of land?!?????

And I’m not even going to go into the amendments. Tuh.

If you want me to teach Reconstruction...I’m going to teach ALL of it. Not one-stop-shop propaganda.

Thanks for coming to my...memories.