The African Free School

Goals:

Aim
How did the establishment of free schools for African Americans in 18th- and 19th-century New York help transform the lives and identities of its students?

At the conclusion of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Evaluate the significance of education and literacy to the larger African American community in New York City
• Situate the development of schools for African American students within the larger development of public education in New York City
• Assess how the education received at the African Free School helped create a class of important African American leaders
• Evaluate the importance of education and literacy to democratic participation
• Identify some of the literary contributions of James Weldon Johnson and Frances E.W. Harper

Essential Questions:

• How did the existence of slavery shape African American communal life and cultural expression?
• How is community defined?
• How was the African American community defined?