The sole teacher of the local black school solemnly enters the narrow doorway of the ramshackle, one-room schoolhouse. Silently greeting the sea of students, all different ages, she ceremoniously shuts the door, causing the aged door hinges to squeal mournfully in need of lubrication. As she hands out the classroom’s worn, tattered books to the eager pupils, a sigh of sympathy escapes her parched lips. The scene portrayed evidently identifies the meager conditions of black schools, greatly differing from the superior status of white institutions. During this critical period in history, black children were denied the fundamental rights deserved by all humans, regardless of race.

            First of all, schools for blacks received far less support than white schools did. In fact, the average level of expenses per student per year consisted of eighty dollars. However, African American children’s expenditure averaged to a mere fifteen dollars. Upon a national outlook, more than twenty-five percent of all students were black, yet they received only twelve percent of all educational revenues and a meager three percent of funds budgeted for school transportation. Such actions were undertaken due to the white government not possessing a desire to educate blacks, who, they feared, may threaten the white supremacy and locate they are not content with simple vocations of toiling in the fields or completing domestic service. These governmental fears and multiple other discriminatory reasons resulted in the unjust distribution of financial support to schools.

            Additionally, black schools experienced a self-evident lack of mandatory supplies and staff. For instance, the few textbooks dispersed to black children held the identification of being tattered and worn, thus requiring mandatory money for the purchase of more. Also, schools for African Americans were often run by a single instructor in a one-room shack without running water or other necessary facilities, serving as an extremely unsuitable location for receiving a proper education. In contrast, Southern white schools were generally new, well-equipped, and sufficiently staffed. The grave issues confronted by black schools, which immensely affected African American education, were of great self-evidence.

            Lastly, there were some benefits present from the possession of a segregated school system despite the numerous quantity of negative aspects associated with such organization. As an example, segregated schools provided black children with a sense of security and protection among the tight stitches of their African American community. Furthermore, the children of the opposing races avoided severe conflicts with one another, which may have led to serious or fatal injuries. Thus, a segregated school system served as a highly controversial issue, offering some benefits yet arousing multiple difficulties.

            In conclusion, black and white schools in the South immensely differed   during the period following the Civil War. These variations mainly occurred due to discriminatory reasons centered on race. Despite the inadequate conditions provided for black schools, a multitude of blacks became active politicians as adults and were able to achieve a variety of governmental positions. The determined African Americans were thus marching steadily on the road to recovery from the hardships so heroically confronted by them in the past.