The Exodusters
Exodusters
waiting on the Mississippi riverbank for passing
steamers to give them passage to St. Louis
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Fast Facts about the Exodusters
for kids
Fast,
fun facts about the Exodusters for kids. Answers to common
questions about the mass migration:
● Why did the Exodusters
move west? To
claim and
settle lands as provided by the
Homestead Act and escape racial
segregation and intimidation in
the South.
● Why did the Exodusters
move to Kansas? Kansas was associated
with freedom because of the Anti-slavery
activists during the
Bleeding Kansas
era and the fame of
John Brown.
● How many Exodusters
were there? The number of Exodusters
who migrated to Kansas exceeded
30,000
● Where did the
Exodusters settle? The first migrants
settled in "Singleton's Colony"
and Dunlap Colony in Kansas
● Where did the
Exodusters come from? All the southern
states, particularly Mississippi
and Louisiana that bordered the
Mississippi River
Exodusters for kids: Reasons for the Exodus
There were many reasons for the mass migration
of the Exodusters. After
the Civil War (1861-1865) the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution
abolished slavery. But the lives of the black freedman did
not improve. Living and working conditions were appalling.
Racial discrimination
and the system of
Black Segregation was
instigated throughout the Southern States. The ex-slaves
were denied their Civil Rights and subjected to abuse and
hardships including the
Black Codes were
passed in 1865/66 to restrict
the ex-slaves new found freedom.
The
Sharecropping
system that resulted in constant
debt and poverty for the black farmers.
The terror
tactics and acts of violence perpetrated by
the Ku Klux Klan
to maintain racial segregation in the South
escalated. Then, as
if things were not bad enough, in 1880
the infamous
Jim Crow Laws
of the South legalized segregation. The
number of Lynchings began to escalate. Black
Americans were deprived of the right to vote
by a poll tax of $2 and a literacy test which
most failed to pass. These are many of the reasons
for the mass migration to Kansas.
During the 1880s, black migrants
purchased more than 20,000 acres of land in
Kansas.
Facts
about the Exodusters for kids
Interesting
facts about the Exodusters are detailed
below. The history of Exodusters is told
in a factual sequence consisting of a series
of short facts providing a simple method
of relating the history and events of the
Exodusters.
Exodusters Fact Sheet:
Facts for kids
Exodusters Fact 1:
Benjamin
"Pap" Singleton believed that
like a "Black Moses" he would
lead his people to the promised
land (Kansas). Henry Adams from
Louisiana also promoted the
idea.
Exodusters Fact 2:
Benjamin
"Pap" Singleton promoted
black colonization and later
organized a political group
in Kansas called the 'United
Colored Links'
Exodusters Fact 3:
Singleton
advertised on posters, broadsides
and handbills that called
"Sunny Kansas, one of the finest
countries for a poor man in
the world". His advertisements
helped thousands of Exodusters
migrate and "conductors" began
leading African American families
to Kansas. A clear reference
to the
Underground Railroad which
had once helped
slaves escape from the bondage
of slavery.
Exodusters Fact 4:
A famous
Benjamin "Pap" Singleton quote
is'
"What's
going to be a hundred years
from now ain't much account
to us...The whites has the lands
and the sense, an' the blacks
has nothin' but their freedom,
an' it's jest like a dream to
them."
Exodusters Fact 5:
The first
300 African Americans followed
Singleton to Kansas. They
were well prepared for the journey
and had resources to help them
make their new lives. However
the vast number of Exodusters
were ill-prepared and had no
money.
Exodusters Fact 6:
The 'Exodus'
was also influenced by the
outcome of 1878 Louisiana state
elections in which the Democratic
Party made major gains. Black
Louisianans, largely Republican
supporters, realized things
would only get worse and it
was time to leave their homes
for Kansas
Exodusters Fact 7:
The floodgate
opened, and thousands undertook
the journey to Kansas by wagon,
train and steamboat eager to
take the opportunity to buy
cheap land and escape oppression
in the south
Exodusters Fact 8:
Relief agencies,
such as the Kansas Freedman's
Relief Association provided
some aid but many people were
destitute.
Exodusters Fact 9:
Not all black
leaders agreed with Exodus.
Frederick Douglass attempted
to dissuade black people from
fleeing the South.
Exodusters Fact 10:
There was
violent opposition from whites
to the mass migration who were
desperate not to lose their
labor force. They used intimidation
tactics and violence to prevent
the black population from leaving.
Exodusters Fact 11:
Despite the
many problems, black migrants
managed to purchase more than
20,000 acres of land in Kansas
during the 1880's.
Exodusters Fact 12:
The 'United
Colored Links', led by its president
Benjamin "Pap" Singleton,
held an 1881 convention in Topeka,
Kansas calling for unity and
work to build industries for
the next generation
Exodusters Fact 13:
Benjamin
Singleton died in 1900 and was
accorded the title "Father of
the Exodus."
Exodusters Facts for kids
Black
History for kids: Important People and Events
For visitors interested in African American History
refer to
Black History - People and Events.
A useful resource
for teachers, kids, schools and colleges
undertaking projects for the Black
History Month.
Exodusters
for kids
- President Rutherford Hayes Video
The article
on the Exodusters provides detailed facts
and a summary of one of the important events
during his presidential term in office.
The following Rutherford Hayes video will
give you additional important facts and
dates about the political events experienced
by the 19th American President whose presidency
spanned from March 4, 1877 to March 4, 1881.
Exodusters
●
Interesting Facts
about Exodusters for kids and schools
●
Summary of the
Exodusters in US history
●
The Exodusters,
a major event in US history
●
Rutherford Hayes
Presidency from March 4, 1877 to March 4, 1881
●
Fast, fun facts
about the Exodusters
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Rutherford Hayes
●
Rutherford Hayes
Presidency and the Exodusters for schools, homework,
kids and children
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