Americans Of The Sea Islands

Americans of the Sea Islands

After the white plantation owners of the South Carolina Sea Islands fled on November 7, 1861 from Confederate soldiers, nearly 10,000 slaves were left to fend for themselves (Wheeler/Becker, p.   237). This situation left the union with many questions about what the new status of the free Sea Islanders should be. Upon reviewing the evidence, it seems clear that the Sea Island freemen and women were not only deserving of their freedom, but also of becoming Americans. The enslaved people's longing education, their urgent desire to own their own homes and the initiatives they took towards owning land, prove that these staunch people were ready to become Americans.
When reviewing the evidence it became clear that these newly freemen craved knowledge, and genuinely wanted to learn more than they had been able to in the past. Some testimonies from white teachers in the area describe the islanders as very eager to learn (Wheeler/Becker, p. 247-249). Considering that most of these women had taught previously in New-England schools and still could say that they had never seen any students so eager to learn, suggests how impressed they were with the success of the free sea islanders. One teacher talks about how the black population would all show up at the school house during all times of the day looking for a lesson (Wheeler/Becker, p. 247-249). As soon as they were done with their work the free islanders would take that free time to try and educate themselves; they didn't want to be ignorant anymore. One white teacher made the statement that “Were they, under such circumstances, intellectual and refined, they would certainly be vastly superior to any other race that ever existed,” (Wheeler/Becker, p. 247). So not only were they eager to learn, but if given the resources to do so,   people began to realize just how successful the freed people of the islands, and their hard work ethics, could be.
The arrival of the confederate army brought...