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A North Carolina Newspaper
Comments on a School For "Girls of Color" in Baltimore, 1830
A school for the education of
girls of color has been established in Baltimore, under the
direction of a religious society of colored women, established
in June last, who devote themselves to religious duties, and to
the Christian education of their own color. Besides the care
bestowed upon their religious education, the pupils are taught
English, French, cyphering and writing, sewing in all its
branches, embroidery, washing and ironing. Boarding &
tuition, $48 per year.
Free Press, (Tarborough, NC.), Feb. 5, 1830.
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Louisiana Forbids Slaves to
be Taught to Read or Write, 1830
That all persons who shall
teach, or permit or cause to be taught, any slave in this State,
to read or write, shall, upon conviction thereof, before any
court of competent jurisdiction, be imprisoned, not more than
one month nor more than twelve months. (Law of March 16, 1830.)
A New Digest of the Statute
Laws of Louisiana, 1841, I, 271-72. After the Nat Turner
insurrection in Virginia in 1831 the slave-holding states
enacted legislation against the teaching of Negroes to read and
write. The statutes on the subject generally ran to a pattern
and were similar in most of the states.
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The General Assembly of Virginia Prohibits the Teaching of
Slaves,
Free Negroes, or Mulattoes to Read or Write, 1831
4. Be it further enacted, That all meetings of free negroes
or mulattoes, at any school-house, church, meeting-house or
other place for teaching them reading or writing, either in the
day or night, under whatsoever pretext, shall be deemed and
considered as an unlawful assembly; and any justice of the
county or corporation, wherein such assemblage shall be, either
from his own knowledge, or on the information of others, of such
unlawful assemblage or meeting, shall issue his warrant,
directed to any sworn officer or officers, authorizing him or
them, to enter the house or houses where such unlawful
assemblage or meeting may be, for the purpose of apprehending or
dispersing such free negroes or mulattoes, and to inflict
corporal punishment on the offender or offenders, at the
discretion of any justice of the peace, not exceeding twenty
lashes.
5. Be it further enacted, That if any white person or persons
assemble with free negroes or mulattoes, at any schoolhouse,
church, meeting-house, or other place for the purpose of
instructing such free negroes or mulattoes to read or write,
such person or persons shall, on conviction thereof, be fined in
a sum not exceeding fifty dollars, and moreover may be
imprisoned at the discretion of a jury, not exceeding two
months.
6. Be it further enacted, That if any white person for pay or
compensation, shall assemble with any slaves for the purpose of
teaching, and shall teach any slave to read or write, such
person, or any white person or persons contracting with such
teacher so to act, who shall offend as aforesaid, shall, for
each offence, be fined at the discretion of a jury, in a sum of
not less than ten, nor exceeding one hundred dollars, to he
recovered on an information or indictment.
7. The judges of the superior courts of law, and the
attorneys prosecuting for the commonwealth, in the county and
corporation courts, are hereby required to give this act in
charge to their several grand juries.
8. This act shall be in force from the first day of June
next.
Supplement to the Revised Code of the Laws
of Virginia, Richmond, 1833, chapter 186.
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North Carolina Forbids Slaves or Free
Negroes to Preach, 1831
An act for the better
regulation of the conduct of negroes, slaves and free persons of
color.
That it shall not be lawful
under any pretence for any free negro, slave or free person of
color to preach or exhort in public, or in any manner to
officiate as a preacher or teacher in any prayer meeting or
other association for worship where slaves of different families
are collected together; and if any free negro or free person of
color shall be thereof duly convicted on indictment before any
court having jurisdiction thereof, he shall for each offense
receive not exceeding thirty-nine lashes on his bare back; and
where any slave shall he guilty of a violation of this act, he
shall on conviction before a single magistrate receive not
exceeding thirty-nine lashes on his bare back.
II. That it shall not be
lawful for any slave to go at large as a freeman, exercising his
or her own discretion in the employment of his or her time; nor
shall it he lawful for any slave to keep house to him or herself
as a free person, exercising the like discretion in the
employment of his or her time; and in case the owner of any
slave shall consent or connive at the commission of such
offence, he or she so offending shall be subject to indictment,
and on conviction be fined in the discretion of the Court not
exceeding one hundred dollars: Provided, that nothing herein
shall be construed to prevent any person permitting his or her
slave or slaves to live or keep house upon his or her land for
the purpose of attending to the business of his 6r her master or
mistress.
Laws of North Carolina, 1831-1832, chapter IV.
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Alabama Forbids the Teaching of Slaves to
Read or Write, 1832
Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That any
person or persons who shall endeavor or attempt to teach any
free person of color, or slave to spell, read, or write, shall
upon Conviction thereof by indictment, be fined in a sum not
less than two hundred and fifty dollars nor more than five
hundred dollars.
Acts Passed at the Thirteenth Annual Session of the
General Assembly of the State of Alabama, 1831-32, p. 16 *
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updated 4 October 2007 |
