Literacy Activists and the Beginning of Higher Learning

After reading the second quarter of Going Against the Grain, there were two interesting topics that stood out to me.  One of the interesting topics was the three literacy activists and what they did to promote the teaching of African Americans.  Slaveholders felt it was necessary to have laws that prohibited the teaching of slaves to read and write because these were skills that were considered to be contributed to disorder and they maintained the levels of obedience.  The three literacy activists were Reverend Samuel Thomas, Reverend Doctor Thomas Bray and Elias Neau.  The one who kept my interest was Reverend Samuel Thomas because after 10 years in South Carolina his successes consisted of “… twenty African Americans who could read and write and who knew the English language well; at least one thousand who could read the Bible; and a cadre of white plantation women who were enlisted in the educational cause and who worked with him.” (Royster 130) I never knew of these literacy activists and Royster tells us about their mission to come to the colonies and work among African Americans and Indians.

                The other interesting topic was the start of higher learning for African Americans.  African Americans had access to higher education after the Civil War and the opening of Atlanta University for African Americans.  Royster introduces us to Adella Hunt who is biracial and the granddaughter of Nathan Sayre and Susan Hunt.  Adella enrolled at Atlanta University and graduated in 1881 from the Normal Department.  She was one of the first African American women to receive a degree from Atlanta University.  Stories like Adella Hunt’s began to be coming from other institutions such as Oberlin College, Wilberforce University, Fisk University and many others.  The institutions that offered educational opportunities to African Americans are now what are known as HBCU or Historically Black Colleges and Universities.