Black Communities
Following the Civil War and Reconstruction in the South, Kansas
advertised land was available to homestead for Freedmen who could pay the fee
of five dollars to enter the state. Led by the Tennessean, Benjamin “Pap”
Singleton, a former slave himself, thousands entered the state. While a noble
way to assist Blacks in getting their own land, Kansas was not prepared for the
large influx and did not know how to help the families get started. More than
twenty communities were founded mostly in the eastern region of the state.
Successive crop failures, bad weather conditions and resentment of
communities by white citizens made life difficult for the new arrivals. Many
fled south into Indian Territory and created more Black towns with several still
in existence today. The only surviving town in Kansas is Nicodemus founded in
western Kansas in 1877.
The following sites provide more information.
No comments:
Post a Comment