https:\/\/omeka.coloredconventions.org\/items\/show\/543<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nAll throughout the South, Black education was being marginalized. The Committee on Education presented the following statistics to show the egregious situation:<\/p>\n\n\n\nSouthern States Convention of Colored Men (1871 : Columbia, SC), \u201cProceedings of the Southern States Convention of Colored Men, held in Columbia, S.C., commencing October 18, ending October 25, 1871.,\u201d Colored Conventions Project Digital Records, Accessed November 4, 2021. <\/div>\n\n\n\n
Equal Rights, Equal Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n At the convention, a letter from Charles Sumner was also read. In it, Sumner mentions that he has drafted and introduced a bill to the U.S. Senate to safeguard civil rights, which would later become the Civil Rights Act of 1875. With prescience, Sumner hinted on the separate but equal doctrine, which was coded into law after the Supreme Court confirmed its legality in Plessy v. Ferguson <\/em>(1896):<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nIt is not enough to provide separate accommodations for colored citizens, even if in all respects as good as those of other persons. Equality is not found in equivalent, but only in equality. In other words, there must be no discrimination on account of color. The discrimination is an insult, a hindrance and a bar, which not only destroys comfort, and prevents equality, but weakens all other rights. <\/em>[6]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nWith urgency, Sumner emphasizes that safeguarding equality in all institutions, including schools:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nAmong cardinal objects is education, which must be insisted on. Here, again, must equality, side by side with alphabet. It is vain to teach equality if you do not practice it. It is vain to recite the great words of the Declaration of Independence if you do not make them a living reality. What is lesson without example? As all are equal at the ballot box, so must all be equal at common school. Equality in the common school is the preparation for equality at the ballot-box. Therefore do I put this among the essentials of education. <\/em>[7]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nDelegates resolved to support Sumner and \u201cto draft a Memorial to the Congress of the United States, setting forth their grievances, and asking for the passage of the \u201cSupplementary Civil Rights Bill.\u201d [8]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
National Protective Union of the Colored People of the United States of America<\/h2>\n\n\n\n The Committee on Organization at the convention also established the National Protective Union of the Colored People of the United States of America. The Union was meant to bring together local societies devoted to \u201csecuring the rights and general welfare of the colored people.\u201d [9] The committee recommended the establishment of local educational societies \u201cto induce the full acceptance by the people of the benefits of education; to enlighten them as to their rights and their duties, under the educational advantages that they may possess; to encourage the formation of libraries, and the dissemination of useful literature, and to stimulate the desire for literary proficiency and the formation of literary taste and judgment.\u201d [10]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The union\u2019s newly drafted constitution ultimately mandated the creation of committees that would organize educational and industrial societies in various parishes, counties, and districts. Securing Black education was at the center of discussions at the Southern States Convention. Black activists and political leaders knew that state governments could not be relied upon and that they must take steps themselves to secure learning for Black southerners with or without state assistance. It was this same drive that gave birth to HBCUs in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
References<\/h3>\n\n\n\n [1] Southern States Convention of Colored Men (1871 : Columbia, SC), \u201cProceedings of the Southern States Convention of Colored Men, held in Columbia, S.C., commencing October 18, ending October 25, 1871.,\u201d ColoredConventions.org, 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[2] \u201cProceedings of the Southern States Convention of Colored Men,\u201d p. 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[3] \u201cProceedings of the Southern States Convention of Colored Men,\u201d p. 66.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[4] \u201cProceedings of the Southern States Convention of Colored Men,\u201d p. 48.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[5] \u201cProceedings of the Southern States Convention of Colored Men,\u201d p. 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[6] \u201cProceedings of the Southern States Convention of Colored Men,\u201d p. 61.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[7] \u201cProceedings of the Southern States Convention of Colored Men,\u201d p. 62.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[8] \u201cProceedings of the Southern States Convention of Colored Men,\u201d p. 86.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[9] \u201cProceedings of the Southern States Convention of Colored Men,\u201d p. 72.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[10] \u201cProceedings of the Southern States Convention of Colored Men,\u201d p. 73.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Credits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Written by<\/strong> Samantha de Vera, University of California, San Diego, and Rachel Nelson for ENGL\/HIST 677, taught by P. Gabrielle Foreman.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEdited by<\/strong> P. Gabrielle Foreman.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAcknowledgements<\/strong>: Michelle Byrnes for further edits, visualization contributions, and technical assistance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Southern States Convention convened on October 18, 1871 in Columbia, South Carolina. Delegates traveled from Delaware to Florida and from Kentucky to Texas. Men who endorsed the call included: James T. Rapier (Alabama), Jonathan C. Gibbs (Florida), Josiah T. Walls (Florida), H. S. Harmon (Florida), P. B. S. Pinchback (Louisiana), and Frederick Douglass (District […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4604,"parent":4615,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4620","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/hbcus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/hbcus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/hbcus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/hbcus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/hbcus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4620"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/hbcus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4859,"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/hbcus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4620\/revisions\/4859"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/hbcus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4615"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/hbcus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/hbcus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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