Margaret V. Leonard
Mrs. Bennett
English 1
17 November 2017 Septima Poinsette Clark: A Compromise for the Greater Good Have you ever had to stand up for your strong beliefs? Septima Poinsette Clark was an African American Educator and a civil rights leader who had to fight for what she believed for most of her life. Clark was willing to sacrifice her teaching career in order to promote literacy, equality, and voter education. She was fired from her job because teachers were not allowed to be involved with civil rights groups. Instead …show more content…
She also helped with literacy and citizenship workshops in Tennessee. In the 1950’s, there were many illiterate African Americans throughout the Southern states. The Jim Crow Laws prohibited anyone that was unable to read or write to become a registered voter. Citizenship schools helped to educate African Americans in reading and writing so that they could vote. “There were no black high schools when I was growing up,” Clark stated in an interview. This meant that there were many African Americans in the South with little or no reading capability, despite attending school up until the 6th grade. Citizenship schools solved the problem of illiterate minorities in the South and expanded black education. Additionally, the growth of citizenship schools led to the rise of black voters in the South. “We taught them to read and write so that they could register and vote. To be able to vote in Charleston, you had to write your name cursive and read a section of the election laws.” Many states also required people to take a quiz or read a passage. This prevented most non-educated African Americans from voting. Setting up citizenship schools changed this. African Americans finally had the chance to read, write, and participate in voting. Clark helped to play a role in the increase of black voters by teaching them all the skills they needed to be able vote. With the help of Clark and many others working in these schools, African American voting in the South
Mrs. Bennett
English 1
17 November 2017 Septima Poinsette Clark: A Compromise for the Greater Good Have you ever had to stand up for your strong beliefs? Septima Poinsette Clark was an African American Educator and a civil rights leader who had to fight for what she believed for most of her life. Clark was willing to sacrifice her teaching career in order to promote literacy, equality, and voter education. She was fired from her job because teachers were not allowed to be involved with civil rights groups. Instead …show more content…
She also helped with literacy and citizenship workshops in Tennessee. In the 1950’s, there were many illiterate African Americans throughout the Southern states. The Jim Crow Laws prohibited anyone that was unable to read or write to become a registered voter. Citizenship schools helped to educate African Americans in reading and writing so that they could vote. “There were no black high schools when I was growing up,” Clark stated in an interview. This meant that there were many African Americans in the South with little or no reading capability, despite attending school up until the 6th grade. Citizenship schools solved the problem of illiterate minorities in the South and expanded black education. Additionally, the growth of citizenship schools led to the rise of black voters in the South. “We taught them to read and write so that they could register and vote. To be able to vote in Charleston, you had to write your name cursive and read a section of the election laws.” Many states also required people to take a quiz or read a passage. This prevented most non-educated African Americans from voting. Setting up citizenship schools changed this. African Americans finally had the chance to read, write, and participate in voting. Clark helped to play a role in the increase of black voters by teaching them all the skills they needed to be able vote. With the help of Clark and many others working in these schools, African American voting in the South