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In 1847, Missouri banned education for black people. John Berry Meachum equipped a steamboat with a library, desks, and chairs and opened a 'Floating Freedom School.'
Year: 1847
Who: John Berry Meachum
Where: Missouri
What: John Berry Meachum, born into slavery in 1789, defied societal barriers to become a leader in education and freedom for Black Americans. By the age of 21, he had purchased his own freedom and that of his father, eventually freeing his wife as well. After relocating to St. Louis, Meachum partnered with white Baptist minister John Mason Peck to establish the First African Baptist Church, which provided spiritual guidance and secular education to the Black community.
Meachum’s innovative efforts in education included founding the "Floating Freedom School" aboard a steamboat on the Mississippi River to circumvent oppressive Missouri laws that restricted Black education. Equipped with desks, chairs, and a library, the school operated in international waters to ensure continued access to education for Black students. Meachum's legacy lives on through his advocacy for education, exemplified by the enduring impact of the First African Baptist Church and the inspiration of the Floating Freedom School. His life serves as a powerful example of how education can be a tool for liberation and social change.
Sources:
Journal Article
Bellamy, D. D. (1974). The education of Blacks in Missouri prior to 1861. The Journal of Negro History, 59(2), 143-157. https://doi.org/10.2307/2717326
Websites:
Durst, D. L. (2004). The Reverend John Berry Meachum (1789-1854) of St. Louis: Prophet and Entrepreneurial Black Educator in Historiographical Perspective. The North Star: A Journal of African American Religious History, 7(2), 1-24. https://www.princeton.edu/~jweisenf/northstar/volume7/durst.pdf
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