The following appears in the Statue Laws of Georgia for 1845 concerning
educating negroes, under Section II, Minor Offences.
"Punishment for teaching slaves or free persons of color to
read. If any slave, negro, or free person of color, or any
white person, shall teach any other slave, negro or free
person of color, to read or write either written or printed
characters, the said free person of color or slave shall be
punished by fine and whipping, or fine or whipping, at the
direction of the court."
Among the ordinances passed by the City of Augusta, effective between
August 10th, 1820 and July 8th, 1829, was the following concerning the
teaching of negroes:
"No person shall teach a negro or person of color to read or
cause any one to be taught within the limits of the City, nor
shall any person suffer a school for the instruction of
negroes, or persons of color to be kept on his or her lot."
None of the ex-slaves whom we interviewed could either read or write.
Old Willis Bennefield, who used to accompany his young master to school,
said he "larned something then. I got way up in my A B Cs, but atter I
got to thinkin' 'bout gals I fergit all 'bout dat."
Another slave said, "We had a school on our plantation and a Negro
teacher named, Mathis, but they couldn't make me learn nothin'. I sure
is sorry now."
Easter Jones, who was once a slave of Lawyer Bennet, on a plantation
about ten miles from Waynesboro, said, when we asked if she had been to
school, "Chillun didn't know whut a book wus in dem days--dey didn't
teach 'em nothin' but wuk. Dey didn' learn me nothin' but to churn and
clean up house, and 'tend to dat boy and spin and cyard de roll."