ShmoopTube

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[Dino and Coop singing]

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Today we'll be discussing what happened after the end of the American Civil War, and how [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

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the country tried to say sorry for that whole “slavery” thing they thought was a good ['America' offers a fruit basket to a black guy]

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idea…

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We're pretty sure they don't make fruit baskets big enough for that… [Guy looks disappointed]

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See, after the end of the Civil War, the South entered what's known as the Reconstruction

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Era.

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The whole point of this period was to, well, reconstruct society and try to make the South

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normal again after they got their butts kicked by the North. [Robert E. Lee saying the South surrenders]

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And a big part of that included giving all the freed slaves the rights that they deserved. [The 13th to 15th amendments to the constitution]

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Right-fully so.

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Heh.

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Get it?

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So the U.S. government launched a federal agency known as the Freedmen's Bureau.

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Don’t know what that means?

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Say it slower.

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Freed.

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Men.

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Ah, words.

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Just like Legos.

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Put two of ‘em together, and you get a boat. [A pile of words is connected together]

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…That might only work for Legos, come to think of it… [The pile of words fall apart and a kid locks shocked]

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Anyway, this bureau, along with the American Missionary Association, were the first to

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establish colleges in the country specifically for African Americans. [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

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But why was doing this so important?

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Well, because education is super important, and everybody deserves one! [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

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Just like everybody deserves a nap once in a while.

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Including us…just…give us a minute…..or twenty…. [Someone asleep on a couch]

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Ah, refreshing.

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Anyway, back to the topic at hand. [Person wakes up]

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Early African American colleges included Hampton University, established in 1868 in Virginia,

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Howard University, established in 1867 in Washington DC, and Fisk University, established [Pictures of the colleges]

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in 1866 in Nashville.

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Each school had its own emphasis, whether it was industrial training, liberal arts,

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or a broad range of college courses.

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We hope that included "how to waste time on the internet". [Lecturer next to blackboard that says 'wasting time on the internet']

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…We're pretty sure we'd ace that class.

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Anyway.

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Each of the colleges shared one quality: they were established with the intention of serving

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the African American community, though they have always allowed admission to all races.

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Other notable Historical Black Colleges include Morehouse College located in Atlanta and known [Coop and Dino showing pictures]

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for producing many African American leaders including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and

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Alcorn State in Mississippi, notable for being the first black college in America to focus

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on agriculture and mechanics.

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And those schools are just a few of the 107 total historically black colleges in the United

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States today, all of which continue to produce a significant portion of African American

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college graduates each year.

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For the record, there is a college class about wasting time on the internet. [Coop next to a picture of the University of Pennsylvania]

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Time for us to go back to college…just as soon as we finish this Buzzfeed quiz….

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