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Freedom Colonies: Independent Black Texans in the Time of Jim Crow
Friends of the Dallas Public Library Award, 2006
Best Book on East Texas, East Texas Historical Association, 2007 In the decades following the Civil War, nearly a quarter of African Americans achieved a remarkable victory—they got their own land. While other ex-slaves and many poor whites became trapped in the exploitative sharecropping system, these independence-seeking individuals settled on pockets of unclaimed land that had been deemed too poor for farming and turned them into successful family farms. In these self-sufficient rural communities, often known as "freedom colonies," African Americans created a refuge from the discrimination and violence that routinely limited the opportunities of blacks in the Jim Crow South. Freedom Colonies is the first book to tell the story of these independent African American settlements. Thad Sitton and James Conrad focus on communities in Texas, where blacks achieved a higher percentage of land ownership than in any other state of the Deep South. The authors draw on a vast reservoir of ex-slave narratives, oral histories, written memoirs, and public records to describe how the freedom colonies formed and to recreate the lifeways of African Americans who made their living by farming or in skilled trades such as milling and blacksmithing. They also uncover the forces that led to the decline of the communities from the 1930s onward, including economic hard times and the greed of whites who found legal and illegal means of taking black-owned land. And they visit some of the remaining communities to discover how their independent way of life endures into the twenty-first century.
Best Book on East Texas, East Texas Historical Association, 2007 In the decades following the Civil War, nearly a quarter of African Americans achieved a remarkable victory—they got their own land. While other ex-slaves and many poor whites became trapped in the exploitative sharecropping system, these independence-seeking individuals settled on pockets of unclaimed land that had been deemed too poor for farming and turned them into successful family farms. In these self-sufficient rural communities, often known as "freedom colonies," African Americans created a refuge from the discrimination and violence that routinely limited the opportunities of blacks in the Jim Crow South. Freedom Colonies is the first book to tell the story of these independent African American settlements. Thad Sitton and James Conrad focus on communities in Texas, where blacks achieved a higher percentage of land ownership than in any other state of the Deep South. The authors draw on a vast reservoir of ex-slave narratives, oral histories, written memoirs, and public records to describe how the freedom colonies formed and to recreate the lifeways of African Americans who made their living by farming or in skilled trades such as milling and blacksmithing. They also uncover the forces that led to the decline of the communities from the 1930s onward, including economic hard times and the greed of whites who found legal and illegal means of taking black-owned land. And they visit some of the remaining communities to discover how their independent way of life endures into the twenty-first century.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 14, 2018
"I’s born a free man, you understand what I mean? I ain’t never been under slavery, no white man riding up and down the middle behind me telling me what to do in my crop, like a lot of them people. That’s what I mean, free.”
My mother asked me to buy us a copy of Thad Sitton and James Conrad's Freedom Colonies: Independent Black Texans in the Time of Jim Crow. She said it got going after Chapter 1, while that chapter laid out their story most compellingly for me: Why have we focused on Blacks sharecropping, "debt slavery," the neo-plantation," and Jim Crow apartheid without also considering the 26% of black farmers who owned their own land in 1890? I wanted another part of this story.
Members of these settlements experienced the same poverty and demonstrated similar ingenuity as poor whites – with several notable exceptions. Freedmen colonies were communities of avoidance and self-segregation, where black people adapted to Jim Crow restrictions not by fighting back or moving north, but by withdrawing from whites and by maintaining ... “a culture of dissemblance.” Being yourself was dangerous and something to avoid. In fact, rather than dressing up to go to town, they would often dress down and keep their children outside town so as to avoid problems. As one person reported, "Negroes learn to get along with white people by outwitting them, by studying them closely, and by marking the points at which they are susceptible to influence.”
This was a difficult and contradictory period in time. On the one hand, Whites claimed that blacks could not learn but [on the other, they] often acted as though they feared they could, with consequences that might cost them money. Why worry if there is nothing to worry about?
This book was somewhat difficult to read, although well-written – and I don’t mean emotionally difficult, although that, too. Although some people showed up repeatedly, it was difficult to get a feel for this and to hear a person’s story rather than a group’s. In addition, chapters were long and did not include headers, which to my money, would have made the book’s structure more clear and increased its readability. On the other hand, there were many photos, which made descriptions more concrete and real.
As one woman said,
My mother asked me to buy us a copy of Thad Sitton and James Conrad's Freedom Colonies: Independent Black Texans in the Time of Jim Crow. She said it got going after Chapter 1, while that chapter laid out their story most compellingly for me: Why have we focused on Blacks sharecropping, "debt slavery," the neo-plantation," and Jim Crow apartheid without also considering the 26% of black farmers who owned their own land in 1890? I wanted another part of this story.
Members of these settlements experienced the same poverty and demonstrated similar ingenuity as poor whites – with several notable exceptions. Freedmen colonies were communities of avoidance and self-segregation, where black people adapted to Jim Crow restrictions not by fighting back or moving north, but by withdrawing from whites and by maintaining ... “a culture of dissemblance.” Being yourself was dangerous and something to avoid. In fact, rather than dressing up to go to town, they would often dress down and keep their children outside town so as to avoid problems. As one person reported, "Negroes learn to get along with white people by outwitting them, by studying them closely, and by marking the points at which they are susceptible to influence.”
This was a difficult and contradictory period in time. On the one hand, Whites claimed that blacks could not learn but [on the other, they] often acted as though they feared they could, with consequences that might cost them money. Why worry if there is nothing to worry about?
This book was somewhat difficult to read, although well-written – and I don’t mean emotionally difficult, although that, too. Although some people showed up repeatedly, it was difficult to get a feel for this and to hear a person’s story rather than a group’s. In addition, chapters were long and did not include headers, which to my money, would have made the book’s structure more clear and increased its readability. On the other hand, there were many photos, which made descriptions more concrete and real.
As one woman said,
“It would be a shame to erase this and never know it was here. We’re not saying it’s right or wrong. We’re just saying we should never forget. For those who own property now, they should try to hold onto it, so 100 years from now their great-grandchildren can tell their children, ‘This is where our beginnings were after slavery.’ I think that means something. It should mean something to everybody.”
July 24, 2018
Fascinating book about Freedom Colonies in Texas. After the end of slavery, some African Americans were able to escape what seemed to be the inevitability of either moving to urban centers or working as sharecroppers. They were able to remain in fairly isolated areas called Freedom Colonies. These were areas of land that were owned by African Americans, held a community school and church, and allowed the members to remain slightly isolated from Jim Crow south.
June 3, 2011
This was an extremely interesting book on how black Texans survived in the era following emancipation. I especially enjoyed reading about how they stored food.
October 5, 2013
This book delves wonderfully into an oft-unexplored nook of history - that of the freed slaves throughout the South who, against all odds, managed to acquire land and become independent during the time of Jim Crow.
Focusing on Texas and with chapters divided so you only need read one (although I recommend reading the lot for better context!), this book is an important contribution to public memory and a good choice for anyone with an interest in Texas, black history, or those who indulge in civic-mindedness.
Focusing on Texas and with chapters divided so you only need read one (although I recommend reading the lot for better context!), this book is an important contribution to public memory and a good choice for anyone with an interest in Texas, black history, or those who indulge in civic-mindedness.
January 27, 2020
This is an important book that documents what the transition was like from slavery to freedom in Texas. After Emancipation a wave of violence and white terrorism against blacks occurred, and for some the solution to get away from it was to form Freedom Colonies. While some black people who were father by wealthy slave owners were given money so they could purchase land, others squatted and literally pulled themselves up on their non existing bootstrap, using sticks as hoes to break the ground to farm on it. Many built successful farms and communities that provided a degree of (though not complete) protection and freedom during the Jim Crow era, and some of these communities lasted until 1990.
Of particular interest was the way they built protective communities and they way that they fought for education. It was also interesting as I live in Texas, so many of the names of the places were familiar, and it gave me more of an insight into the evolution of our society, particularly as this was not that long ago.
The book follows the decline of the Freedom Colonies. In some ways, they were victims of their own success. Since many were landlocked among white communities, they could not buy additional land and would split the land they had among their many decedents to the point where there was not anything left that could be lived on. Other factors in their decline was the move to urbanization spawned by WWII, as well as legal trickery by whites to steal land, as well as sometimes black people being forcibly moved from land they had made prosperous. Basically a black person could have worked hard all of their life, built a prosperous farm from nothing, and had it taken away without being properly compensated for it. Once more, this has reverberations to the present day.
This is an important historical work that needs to be taught in schools when we discuss Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era. Definitely recommend.
Of particular interest was the way they built protective communities and they way that they fought for education. It was also interesting as I live in Texas, so many of the names of the places were familiar, and it gave me more of an insight into the evolution of our society, particularly as this was not that long ago.
The book follows the decline of the Freedom Colonies. In some ways, they were victims of their own success. Since many were landlocked among white communities, they could not buy additional land and would split the land they had among their many decedents to the point where there was not anything left that could be lived on. Other factors in their decline was the move to urbanization spawned by WWII, as well as legal trickery by whites to steal land, as well as sometimes black people being forcibly moved from land they had made prosperous. Basically a black person could have worked hard all of their life, built a prosperous farm from nothing, and had it taken away without being properly compensated for it. Once more, this has reverberations to the present day.
This is an important historical work that needs to be taught in schools when we discuss Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era. Definitely recommend.
January 6, 2023
An excellent telling of the freedmen’s colonies, primarily in Texas.
Even as a native Texan, this was an untold story for me. A bit academic, but well researched, and well told. Well documented, with oral histories of descendants of the colonies, and written documents and county records, the book describes all phases of life in these communities and doesn’t sugarcoat the relationships—sometimes beneficial and at other times racially motivated by violence—that marked the lives of these communities.
Well worth the read.
Very highly recommended.
Even as a native Texan, this was an untold story for me. A bit academic, but well researched, and well told. Well documented, with oral histories of descendants of the colonies, and written documents and county records, the book describes all phases of life in these communities and doesn’t sugarcoat the relationships—sometimes beneficial and at other times racially motivated by violence—that marked the lives of these communities.
Well worth the read.
Very highly recommended.
October 7, 2019
Enlightening
Excellent historical and sociological treatment of African American life after the Civil War, especially in East Texas, and including white opposition. Interesting and well-worth reading.
Excellent historical and sociological treatment of African American life after the Civil War, especially in East Texas, and including white opposition. Interesting and well-worth reading.
January 10, 2023
Fascinating information
I'm still learning how much I need to learn about Texas / US history and race relations.
The book is incredibly informative. I did find that the authors repeated themselves frequently. Maybe we need that to finally see what's been overlooked.
I'm still learning how much I need to learn about Texas / US history and race relations.
The book is incredibly informative. I did find that the authors repeated themselves frequently. Maybe we need that to finally see what's been overlooked.
Read
December 27, 2015very repetitive. good information
April 18, 2017
We need more of this history.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews