Part 24 (1/2)
[Footnote 2: _Minutes and Proceedings of the Third Annual Convention of the Free People of Color_, 1836; Garrison's Address]
In the course of time these workers succeeded in various coher education of the Negroes of the District of Coluely around the acade wo a special preparation for life's work, she finally concluded that she should devote her tiroes[1] She entered upon her career in Washi+ngton in 1851 assisted by Miss Anna Inman, a native of New York, and a irls French one year Miss Inman returned to her hoet a permanent location, Miss Miner had to enerally persecuted and threatened with conflagration for having a white wo a schoolhouse for her purpose, she purchased a lot with ely by Quakers of New York, Philadelphia, and New England, and by Harriet Beecher Stowe[3] Miss Miner had also the support of Mrs
Means, an aunt of the wife of President Franklin Pierce, and of United States Senator WH Seward[4] Effective opposition, however, was not long in developing Articles appeared in the newspapers protesting against this policy of affording Negroes ”a degree of instruction so far above their social and political condition whichco the streets, and for lack of police surveillance the house was set afire in 1860 It was sighted, however, in time to be saved[6]
[Footnote 1: O'Connor, _Myrtilla Miner_, pp 11, 12]
[Footnote 2: _Special Report of the US Com of Ed_, 1871, p 207]
[Footnote 3: _Ibid_, 1871, p 208]
[Footnote 4: _Ibid_, pp 208, 209, and 210]
[Footnote 5: _The National Intelligencer_]
[Footnote 6: _Special Report of the US Com of Ed_, 1871, p 209]
Undisturbed by these efforts to destroy the institution, Miss Miner persisted in carrying out her plan for the higher education of colored girls of the District of Colu the summer to solicit friends and contributions to keep the institution on that higher plane where she planned it should be She had the building well equipped with all kinds of apparatus, utilized the ae library, and secured a nuhtened her pupils on the finer arts In addition to the conventional teaching of seminaries of that day, Miss Miner provided lectures on scientific and literary subjects by the leading men of that time, and trained her students to teach[1] She hoped soe During the Civil War, however, it was difficult for her to find funds, and health having failed her in 1858 she died in 1866 without realizing this dream[2]
[Footnote 1: _Special Report of the US Com of Ed_, 1871, p 210]
[Footnote 2: Those who assisted her were Helen Moore, Margaret Clapp, Anna H Searing, Amanda Weaver, Anna Jones, Matilda Jones, and Lydia Mann, the sister of Horace Mann, who helped Miss Miner considerably in 1856 at the ti health Emily Holland was her firh the crisis, and stood by her until she breathed her last See _Special Report of the US Com of Ed_, 1871, p 210]
Earlier in the nineteenth century the philanthropists of Pennsylvania had planned to establish for Negroes several higher institutions
Chief a of an institution of this kind had been made possible by Richard Humphreys, a Quaker, who, on his death in 1832, devised to a Board of Trustees the sum of 10,000 to be used for the education of the descendants of the African race[1] As the instruction of Negroes was then unpopular, no steps were taken to carry out this plan until 1839
The Quakers then appointed a Board and undertook to execute this provision of Humphreys's will In conformity with the directions of the donor, the Board of Trustees endeavored to give the colored youth the opportunity to obtain a good education and acquire useful knowledge of trades and coht be enabled to obtain a comfortable livelihood by their own industry, and fulfill the duties of doood citizens and pious ly they purchased a tract of land in Philadelphia County and taught a nu, and other useful occupations
[Footnote 1: Wickersham, _History of Education in Pa_, p 249]
[Footnote 2: _Special Report of the US Coe in the development of this institution was reached in 1842, the year of its incorporation It then received several small contributions and the handsome sum of 18,000 from another Quaker, Jonathan Zane As it seemed by 1846 that the attempt to combine the literary with the industrial work had not been successful, it was decided to dispose of the industrial equipment and devote the funds of the institution to theschool An effort at the establishment of a day school waswas then erected in Lombard Street and the school known thereafter as the Institute for Colored Youth was opened with Charles L Reason of New York in charge Under hi advanced pupils of both sexes for the higher vocations of teaching and preaching The attendance soon necessitated increased accommodations for which Joseph Dawson and other Quakers liberally provided in later years[1]
[Footnote 1: _Special Report of the United States Com of Ed_, 1871, p 380]
This favorable tendency in Pennsylvania led to the establishhany City The necessary fund was bequeathed by Rev Charles Avery, a rich man of that section, who left an estate of about 300,000 to be applied to the education and Christianization of the African race[1] Soe donations were , and another portion was appropriated to the establishe This institution was incorporated in 1849 Soon thereafter it advertised for students, expressing willingness to ious proclivities The school had a three-story brick building, up-to-date apparatus for teaching various branches of natural science, a library of all kinds of literature, and an endowment of 25,000 to provide for its maintenance Rev Philotas Dean, the only white teacher connected with this institution, was its first principal He served until 1856 when he was succeeded by his assistant, MH Freee B Vashon Miss Emma J Woodson was an assistant in the institution from 1856 to 1867 After the din of the Civil War had ceased the institution took on new life, electing a new corps of teachers, who placed the work on a higher plane A these were Rev
HH Garnett, president, BK Sampson, Harriet C Johnson, and Clara G Toop[2]
[Footnote 1: _African Repository_, vol xxxiv, p 156]
[Footnote 2: _Special Report of the US Com of Ed_, 1871, p 381]
It was due also to the successful forces at work in Pennsylvania that the Ashmun Institute, now Lincoln University, was established in that State The need of higher education having come to the attention of the Presbytery of New Castle, that body decided to establish within its limits an institution for the ”scientific, classical, and theological education of the colored youth of the male sex” In 1853 the Synod approved the plans of the founders and provided that the institution should be under the supervision and control of the Presbytery or Synod within whose bounds it ht be located A committee to solicit funds, find a site, and secure a charter for the school was appointed They selected for the location Hensonville, Chester County, Pennsylvania[1] The legislature incorporated the institution in 1854 with John M dickey, Alfred Hamilton, Robert P
DuBois, James Latta, John B Spottswood, James Crowell, Samuel J
dickey, Alfred Hamilton, John M Kelton, and Willias and equip been provided by 1856, the doors of this institution were opened to young coloredpreparation for work in this country and Liberia[2]
[Footnote 1: Baird, _A Collection_, etc, p 819]