African -AmericansAmericans constructed and maintained their own schools prior to the aid formfrom the Freedom’sFreedom Bureau and missionary Unionsunions ( James Anderson, 1998). According to James Anderson ( 1998), former slaves “ foundationalslaves' “foundation of the freedmen's educational movement was their self-reliance and deep-seated desire to control and sustain schools for themselves and their children,” ( pg(p. 5). Additionally, a white American Missionary Association teacher named William Channing Garnett stated that former slaves had a natural praise worthworthy pride in keeping their educational institutioninstitutions in their own hands, (James Anderson, 1998, pgp. 5).
Former slavesslaves' desire to control their own education resulted in the creation of different educational structures, like the native and sabbath schools. In 1865, appointed school inspector, John W. Alfred, noticed that african-americansAfrican Americans had numerous schools around the south called native schools ( James Anderson, 1998, pg p. 6) .The nativeNative schools were southern schools maintained by black people without the aid of white americansAmericans. Furthermore, former slaves used their own resources and black educators to produce their own educationeducational programs and each school was staffed with allby only black people, and the gate keppers. The gatekeepers of native schools did not want “civilization from yankees.Yankees" ( James Anderson, 1998). Essentially, former-slavesformer slaves formulated their education to fit their needs and did not need the assitanceassistance.