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The Origin of African-American Education in Macon, Georgia, 1865-1866 African-American Education in the South became the first priority among blacks in Georgia. As soon as slavery was abolished and they were emancipated, freedmen in the south began to establish schools wherever buildings and teachers were available and could be protected. In the summer of 1865, the Western Freedmen’s Aid Commission cooperated with the Freedmen’s Bureau. They went to Macon, Georgia to start up schools for freedmen. The first teachers were former slaves, pastors, businessmen, and grocery store clerks. The first schools that began in Macon were held in four buildings that were owned by the black Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches. They only had 12 teachers at the time, ten blacks and two whites. Unfortunately, in the beginning of the establishment of the schools, the teachers were not getting paid. They were suffering from a lack of cash. The teachers always needed food, clothing, and housing. In effort to solve this problem, The Western Freedmen’s Aid Commission had promised to pay the teachers $25 a month plus an allowance of 30 cents per day. Sorry to say, after four months, the teachers only had received two months of pay without the allowance. Parents did not pay anything because they could not afford to have their children educated. Due to the fact that the schools lacked money, they were not able to purchase standardized books for the students. Left with no other choice, they were forced to ask for donations for the school. Two months after the schools were opened they were making great progress. The overall number of students enrolled was 600. The Freedmen had a desire to improve the educational opportunities. They felt that the teachers were inadequately trained. They saw a need for teachers that could teach older students. Advanced and older students were taken and put in a graded system, which caused grammar and high schools to be created. In 1865 as the year came to an end, there was a serious outbreak of smallpox among blacks.
Approximate Word count = 1337
Approximate Pages = 5.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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