A Report Concerning the Colored Women of the South

In Short

This report details a three-month investigative tour of schools and rural communities across five Southern states in 1895. Authored by two women commissioned by the John F. Slater Fund, the text evaluates the progress of post-emancipation education and identifies a critical need for domestic and moral instruction among black women. By documenting the success of graduates and the desperate conditions in rural cabins, the report argues that personal, guided missionary work is the only effective bridge to permanent social elevation, ultimately advocating for a new, localized approach to charitable intervention.

The Story

The narrative begins with a formal commission: two investigators set out on October 20, 1895, to assess the state of the colored women of the South. Their journey takes them through Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, where they visit twenty-four educational institutions and venture into the homes of both the impoverished and the educated. The report documents a clear divide between the "neat and attractive" homes of school graduates and the "hovels" of those untouched by formal training.

The investigators meet with a wide array of figures, from clergymen and doctors to rural mothers living in one-roomed cabins. They discover that the desire for education is intense, with families often making profound sacrifices to afford tuition. They learn that the "negro problem" is viewed by the authors not as a crisis of capacity, but as a challenge of environment and history. The report highlights that the moral and social progress of the race is held back by the legacy of slavery—specifically the ongoing degradation of women through systemic inequality—which they argue remains largely ignored by Southern white society.

As the tour progresses, the authors find that schools like Hampton and Tuskegee are producing graduates who are self-respecting, clear-sighted, and eager for independent labor. Yet, these graduates often face resentment from whites when they refuse to accept low-wage domestic service in favor of professional or independent work. The authors conclude that while the progress made in the thirty years since emancipation is remarkable, the "great mass" of the population remains in poverty.

The report ends with a specific, actionable proposal. The authors argue that large-scale government or general educational funding is insufficient for the specific task of moral and domestic reform. They recommend that the Slater Fund hire "pious, intelligent women" to travel through rural districts, hosting "Mothers’ meetings" to teach basic hygiene, home management, and "First Aid." They envision these women as agents who will transform the home, thereby creating a stronger demand for public schooling and a better standard of living. By shifting the focus from general schooling to localized, intimate instruction, the authors believe they can successfully prepare the next generation to stand as equals within the Republic.

How It Unfolds

The mission defined The authors receive their mandate from the Board of Trustees to investigate the mental and moral status of Southern black women. They outline their itinerary across five states, emphasizing the range of environments they intend to examine.

Observations of success The investigators describe the lives of school graduates, noting their modesty, ambition, and success in securing independent work. They frame these individuals as evidence of the race's inherent potential, bolstered by Northern-funded education.

The reality of the rural cabin The report shifts to the stark conditions of the "black belt," where poverty and debt stifle progress. Interviews with mothers reveal a desperate struggle for basic necessities, yet show a consistent, burning desire for their children’s advancement.

The call for specialized intervention The authors argue that the current educational system fails to provide sufficient training in nursing and domestic management. They identify specific schools that, with small infusions of cash, could become centers for practical, life-saving instruction.

A strategy for the future The text concludes with a concrete plan to send traveling teachers into the field. This proposal seeks to bypass bureaucratic hurdles, focusing instead on personal influence to foster change within the individual family unit.

The People

The report centers on the "Northern Ladies," the two investigators who act as the narrators. They approach their subject with a paternalistic, missionary zeal, believing that they possess the objectivity and moral authority to diagnose the problems of an entire race. They are driven by a conviction that Northern philanthropy is the primary engine of progress in the South.

They contrast these figures with the "Leaders of the race," such as the educators at Hampton and Tuskegee, including Booker Washington and his wife, Mrs. Booker Washington. These individuals are presented as the success stories—educated, professional, and refined. They serve as the primary informants for the investigators, providing the testimony that confirms the authors' belief in the capacity of the race to learn and succeed.

Finally, the report highlights the "Rural Mothers" in the black belt. These women represent the "great mass" that has not yet been reached by industrial schools. They are depicted as victims of a "surviving system" of oppression, characterized by heavy mortgages and one-roomed living, yet they are also presented as the most crucial demographic for future efforts. Their potential for improvement, in the eyes of the authors, hinges entirely on the intervention of outside, moral influences.

In Its Own Voice

"But the negro women of the South are subject to temptations, of which their white sisters of the North have no appreciation, and which come to them from the days of their race enslavement."

The authors describe the unique social and moral vulnerabilities facing black women in the late 19th-century South.

"The negro problem of which we hear so much does not seem to us as difficult to solve as the labor problem of the North, complicated as that is by the mixture of races and religions."

This observation serves to contrast the homogeneity of the African American population with the social tensions of the industrial North.

"It is impossible to look for a moral community, where the women have never been taught by example and precept that Christian virtue which raises the human being above the animal."

This statement encapsulates the report’s fundamental argument that social stability depends on the moral and domestic education of mothers.

What It's Really About

At its core, this report is a document of late 19th-century social reformism, preoccupied with the intersection of education, morality, and labor. It argues that the "elevation" of the African American race is not merely a matter of literacy, but of domestic transformation. By linking the "decencies of life" to the moral standing of a community, the authors posit that the home is the primary site of political and social progress. The text explores the tension between Northern philanthropic ideals and the entrenched, systemic poverty of the South, ultimately asserting that a top-down approach is insufficient. It is a work concerned with how institutional influence can be translated into personal behavior.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of philanthropy, the evolution of American educational theory, or the social dynamics of the post-Reconstruction South will find this report invaluable. It offers a rare, ground-level view of how Northern reformers perceived their mission in the 1890s, revealing both the genuine humanitarian effort and the deeply ingrained class and racial biases of the era.

The experience of reading it is one of navigating a complex moral landscape. One encounters the authors' heartfelt, if paternalistic, commitment to helping those they believe to be neglected, while simultaneously confronting the stark, often dehumanizing language used to describe the rural poor. The report is not a neutral historical record; it is an argument, and its strength lies in the candidness of that argument. Modern readers will find the detailed descriptions of school curricula and the direct, often poignant testimony of the people interviewed to be the most compelling aspects of the text. It stands as a testament to a specific moment of transition, capturing the fierce determination of early graduates to secure their independence and the persistent, structural barriers that defined their world. It is a challenging, necessary look into the mechanics of 19th-century social intervention.