“Make the Letters Big and Plain” : A History of Black Education in North Carolina

Duncan, Eric. “‘Make the Letters Big and Plain’ : A History of Black Education in North Carolina.” (Under the direction of Dr. Susanna Lee.)

This paper traces the history of black education in North Carolina from the antebellum era through Reconstruction. During the antebellum period, this paper examines how slaves, through largely individual efforts, used education as a tool of resistance. In the second chapter, this paper explores how the Civil War and subsequent emancipation changed the nature of black education from a largely individual struggle to an area of community activism. The third chapter and epilogue explore how blacks used their newfound political power in the post-Civil War era to advocate public schools in North Carolina.