Weeksville Research Paper

Free black communities in America steadily came about when slaves were starting to earn their freedom either gradually, immediately or militantly. As the population grew African Americans wanted to build institutions, that will preserve their African heritage. By the years of 1820 to 1861 which is known as the Antebellum Era, free black communities were starting to establish. During this time Northern Black Elites, privileged African Americans, led the development to many institutions and culture, antislavery movements, struggle for racial justice and equality for African Americans. Churches during this time housed schools, hide fugitive slaves, and meeting for various organizations. Schools were underfunded and overcrowded. The teaching was
The Weeksville Heritage Center (WHC) is a museum that is dedicated to preserving the history of the once African American community named Weeksville. Weeksville was America's first free black community that's was founded by James Weeks. Now it is part of Crown Heights and Bedford- Stuyvesant. Weeksville was a hub were many runaways and fugitive slaves went to escape slavery. By the 1850s, Weeksville started to become more established as more than 500 people came to this community for the opportunity of gaining land and using their new found status as a homeowner to vote. This community was built on several key values like education, religion and taking care of women, children and the elderly. Which led to many predominant African Americans to help establish churches, schools and business so that those African Americans with talents were able to thrive. A few places that were built was to help to educate others were the Colored School Number 2, now known as P.S 243 The Weeksville school, Zion Home for Colored Aged, Howard Colored Orphan Asylum, which many people go to read books and the Berean Missionary Baptist Church, which was the first church to be built from the ground up. The home I went in is a single story, double house from the 1860s. This house was around the Civil War era, here is where low-income status like cooks, musicians, artists, day laborers, artisans. Like what I have read in the textbook in history class, people during this time lived in poor conditions. This house was also a headquarter for the African Civilization Society or ACS which is an organization founded by Henry Highland