Northern missionaries open schools in the South -- and freed slaves rejoice in the opportunity to be educated. The South's new, racially integrated legislatures create the region's first public schools -- for blacks and for whites.

Education
Freed slaves make education a priority -- but schools become targets for violence. (7:45)

Carrying Light and Knowledge
A teacher travels South to educate eager students in hostile surroundings.

Were You Ever a Colored Boy?
A newspaper describes the miserable experience of racism at school.

The People Are Daily More Enlightened
A South Carolina legislator lists improvements in the state educational system.

Q&A: Schools and Education During Reconstruction
Historians offer thoughts about education in the South after the war.

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