Marching as to War, the Beginnings of Freedom in South Carolina

In August of the year 2000, I was a graduate student finishing a Master's Degree in Education. I lived in a small shot-gun styled apartment on what was once called "Sweet" Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. The prominent avenue was central to one of the sections of Atlanta that had become known as a venue that spawned rich contributions to African American history. The proximity of my living arrangement was such that it if I stood on my porch, I could literally throw a stone onto either the lawn of the birth home or the burial site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King is of course known as the leader of the American Civil Rights movement and for popular speeches of the 1960's. I witnessed thousands of visitors from all walks of life coming to the historic area and I valued this privilege greatly. To many the mostly narrow and modestly adorned streets that flanked Auburn Avenue were hallowed ground because of their connection to the equal rights break throughs that began four decades prior. However, the research that I was completing as a student quickly revealed to me that formal efforts to attain equal rights in America had begun much earlier than that time. In fact, what many know as the American Civil Rights movement is arguably only the culmination or manifestation of efforts to achieve equality that initially started in various ways within southern states such as Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. For instance, as early as the 1860's, these southern states saw substantive efforts aimed at reform that included such things as former slaves holding political office. Perhaps the most successful occurred in South Carolina. Marching as to War, the Beginnings of Freedom in South Carolina is essentially an unpublished Master's thesis that was originally presented as Reconstruction and Education in South Carolina: Contributions of the Reverend Benjamin Franklin Randolph 1865 - 1868. Yet it is so much more than a simple thesis as it sheds light on the tireless work of those who strived for equality at a time when the true cost of equality was higher than ever. Hence, the document has been given a new name. Anyone interested in history can read this thesis and gain new insight about the racial, religious and political issues of one of the most significant periods in American history. In the aftermath of the American Civil War there were many "firsts." Former slaves were made free, African Americans voted and notable provisions became constitutional law with African Americans holding a majority in a state legislature for the first time in history. Why is this relevant? Well, first of all, I believe that there are many people who would like to know this bit of history. For example, I was born in South Carolina, and had no real idea of the significant contributions toward the rebuilding of the state that were made by African Americans until I became a graduate student. It is never too late to learn from the past, particularly when many of the stories of how the South was reconstructed after the civil war have never been told. Second, as technological capabilities improve, it seems more and more important to record and share information especially if it may have been over-looked. Finally, there is no better time than the present to explore what happened and tell a new story.