In Virginia’s eastern panhandle Freewill Baptists, under the leadership of Rev. Nathan Cook Brackett, lead the way in helping establish Freedmen’s schools. A native of Maine and in the closing months an assistant field agent with the United States Christian Commission in Winchester, Virginia, Brackett following the conclusion of the war suggested that Freewill Baptists…
Throughout the South many black Baptist churches are now hosting schools for freedmen, both children and adults. White Southerners for generations prevented slaves from obtaining education via state and local laws. Many insisted that blacks were simply unable to learn. Now, against the wishes of many whites who believe that blacks should remain in servitude,…
The Freedmen’s Bureau is especially active in South Carolina, the state formerly home to a large number of the South’s slaves. White residents of the states are already taking steps to restrict the freedoms of former slaves, while Northern relief and charitable agencies, including American Baptist-related organizations, are making efforts to assist freedmen in obtaining…