The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-03-15
CLANDESTINE SCHOOLS.

Bulletin Of Atlanta; l University: Per
haps it may be well to call attention
to and explain the astonishing fact
that after the war there could be found
a few, or, rather, for that early period.
so many, cOlored men and women
capable of beginning the school work
even at the A B c point
This was due to many influences.
open and secret. Among the favor
ing influences, first was the fact that
many humane masters taught their
slaves, and others winked at the viola
ton of the law which forbade the
teaching of slaves and permitted their
children to instruct fayorite slave to
read and sometimes to write Men
now high in authority in educational
matters taught their slaves to read
and write. rendering themselves liable
to be punished as violators of the law
on the statute book. The Christian
instruction of the slaves was encour-
aged and directed by many Christian
bodies. Indeed. in the act permitting
the introduction of slaves, Christian
trainining was enjoined upon the
slave masters. The Rev G.. c. Jones.
father of the late historian Jones, and
the Rev Josiah Law, both among the
most distinguished ministers of the
state, were engaged to devote their
time to this work.
Again, it is known that when negro
slavery, at first prohibited, was
finally introduced into Georgia in
1749, many of these slaves came from
South Carolina AS in 1744, a negro
school was started in Charleston, it
may be inferred that some of these
slaves must have brought with them
to Georgia some knowledge of reading
and writing. The Charleston school
was still in fourishing condition in
1852, and was taught by an educated
negro, likely from England. al
though it was for free negroes only,
many slaves, who even then hired
their time, sent their children to this
school. In time other schools were
opened, and a number of colored
persons from Savannah and Augusta,
Ga. sent their children to Charleston
to be taught.
According to tradition some of these
students returned and opened schools
in Savannah and in Augusta. No one,
however, was lawfully permitted to
give book instruction to slaves, not
even IN any one of the three Rs
Whatever was done in this way was
done clandes timely, and, if discovered,
was sure to get its author into trouble
There were, nevertheless, several
schools kept clandestinely in Augusta
and in Savannah. Another class of
teachers were the poor whites, who
eked out miserable living by clan
destinely teaching free negroes and
slaves. Some of them might we'll be
denOminated, not ''old field schools"
but ''old chip schools" When some
aged. impecunious white lady would
agree to teach the children of such
slaves as had hired their time, the
children were said to go to her house
to pick UP chips" They were busily
engaged in this work when an officer
was likely to be around.
The most noted of these clandes-
tine schools for cOlored children was
taught by colored man in Savannah
1t was opened in 1918 or 1919 by a
colOred Frenchman named Julian
Froumontaine, from San Domingo.
Up to 1929 this school was taught
openly, for before that date the laws
of Georgia did not forbid the teaching
of free person of color In referring
to this prohibitory law, in justice it |
ought to be admitted that the require
ments Of the constitutions of slavery"
We're such that it would have been un-
wise to undertake to maintain the svs-
tenn of slavery and run the risk of hav-
ing the slaves read such literature as
began then to be circulated by Aboli- |
1t is proper, also, to add |
that many shareholders did not share
this fear, and We're willing, in the face
of slavery, to give the slaves their ele
teachings in reading and
After Dec. %, 1899. it was made a |
penal offense to teach negro or free
person Of color to read or write
Hence from that time all negro schools |
were clandestine. FroumOntaine's |
school, however, tiourished under him
for more than fifteen years 1t laid |
the foundation Of the educational work |
the colored people of Georgia |
Several of his pupils clandestinely
taught school to the beginning of the
war.