Testimony before the Joint Committee on Reconstruction on Atrocities in the South against Blacks

Essential Quotes

“Question. Do they find any difficulty in obtaining employment at fair wages? … Answer. They do find some difficulty. The slaveholders, who have owned them, say that they will take them back, but cannot pay them any wages. Some are willing to pay a dollar a month, and some less, and some are only willing to give them their clothing and what they eat. They are not willing to pay anything for work.”

“Question. Do you feel any danger? … Answer. We feel in danger of our lives, of our property, and of everything else.”

“Question. Are the black people there anxious for education and to go to school? Answer: Generally they are; but in my neighborhood they are afraid to be caught with a book.”

“Question. How are the black people treated in Virginia by the whites since the close of hostilities? Answer. The only hope the colored people have is in Uncle Sam’s bayonets.”