Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island facts for kids

The Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island was a special place created in 1863 during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony. This colony was started after Union General John G. Foster captured Roanoke Island in North Carolina in 1862. He declared the enslaved people living there as "contraband" of war. This meant they were not returned to their enslavers. In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation officially freed all enslaved people in Union-controlled areas.

The island colony began as one of many "contraband camps." But it grew into something more important. African Americans lived there as freedmen, meaning they were free civilians. Many formerly enslaved people from the mainland also came to the island. They sought safety and freedom with the Union forces. People in the colony were paid for their work. They also worked hard to get an education for themselves and their children.

In 1863, General Foster put Horace James, a chaplain, in charge of "Negro Affairs" in North Carolina. James oversaw the camps and helped the freedmen. He believed the Roanoke Island Colony was a key experiment in black freedom. He thought it could be a model for other freedmen communities. People in the colony built churches and started the first free school for black children there. Teachers from the North soon joined them to help. About 27 teachers worked on the island over time. As the war continued, the colony became very crowded. Many residents suffered from infectious diseases.

In 1865, President Andrew Johnson ordered that all land taken during the war be returned to its original owners. This meant the land used by the freedmen's camps was given back. The freedmen at Roanoke Island were not given rights to their land. Most of them left the island. The soil there was too poor to grow enough food for many farmers. By 1867, the colony was officially closed. However, about 300 freedmen still lived there independently in 1870. Some of their descendants live on the island even today.

History of Roanoke Island

Roanoke Island has a long history. Native Americans used it for fishing camps for many years. The first English explorers arrived in 1584. Sir Walter Raleigh tried to start a colony there. He sent 100 men, but they left within a year. In 1587, another 110 colonists arrived. Their leader, Captain John White, went back to England for supplies. When he returned three years later, the colony was gone. Some people believe the colonists joined a local Native American tribe. However, historians think they likely died from hunger or attacks.

By the mid-1600s, English settlers built a permanent town on the island. They tried to create plantations using enslaved African people. But the island's soil was not very good for farming large crops.

When North Carolina left the Union in 1861, the Confederacy planned to build forts on Roanoke Island. They wanted to protect the bay and waterways. By the winter of 1861, they had built three forts. But these forts were weak and too small. On February 8, 1862, Union General Ambrose E. Burnside easily captured Roanoke Island. The Union kept control of the island until the end of the war.

As enslaved people heard about the Union victory, they came to the island. They sought freedom and protection with the Union forces. They quickly formed refugee camps. General Burnside called these refugees "contraband of war." This policy was started by General Benjamin Butler at Fort Monroe in 1861. The number of freedmen on the island grew quickly. It went from 250 in the first few months to over 1,000 by late 1862. They formed a community, starting the first free school for black children in North Carolina. They also built churches. Most of them turned old Confederate army buildings into their new homes. This area became known as "Camp Foster." Freedmen who were able to work helped the Union Army. They worked in construction, rebuilding forts and adding to docks. The Army paid them for their work.

In 1862, General John G. Foster became the commander of the North Carolina area. After the Emancipation Proclamation, he appointed Horace James as "Superintendent of Negro Affairs." James was tasked with creating a self-sufficient colony on the island. He also managed other contraband camps in the state. James was supposed to help people settle, give them farming tools, and prepare them for a free community.

Horace James took a special interest in the Roanoke Freedmen's Colony. He believed it could be an important example for other freedmen after the war. President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation had freed enslaved people in Confederate areas controlled by Union troops. Many of them moved to Union camps for safety.

Life in the Colony

Freedmen Join the Union Army

The Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony was a safe place for enslaved people. They sought protection with the Union Army during the Civil War. Most freedmen on Roanoke Island helped the Union Army. Some joined the army as soldiers when the United States Colored Troops were formed. Other men worked as spies, scouts, and guides. They knew the area and its waterways very well. They completed dangerous and important missions for the Union. Freedmen from Roanoke Island formed the "first company of the North Carolina Colored Volunteers."

Major General Rush Hawkins took over command of the island in 1863. He ordered that freedmen who joined the army or worked for the military be paid. They received "ten dollars a month plus one ration and a soldier's allowance of clothing." The National Park Service says that over 150 men from Roanoke Island joined the army. The Union Army allowed families of black soldiers to live at Roanoke Island for safety. Men who did not join the army worked as woodcutters, teamsters, and carpenters. Many freedwomen worked as cooks and laundresses for the Union camp.

Becoming Self-Sufficient

General Hawkins also made sure that freedwomen and older boys were paid for their work. They received supplies for their families. Each woman and boy aged 12 to 16 was paid four dollars a month plus one ration. They also received clothing allowances. Children under 12 received one ration and stayed with their parents.

The Army gave small plots of land to families in the colony. They encouraged the freedmen to grow crops for food. Under James's guidance, they also started fisheries. This helped the island become more self-sufficient. A sawmill was built, and people sold handmade goods. This helped the island's economy. Many adults worked for the Union Army and received wages and food. Colonel Rush Hawkins, the commander, also helped keep enslaved families together. Owning land, practicing a trade, and living with their families gave the freedmen a "taste of citizenship, family life, and hope."

Horace James's Role

Reverend Horace James was a minister from Massachusetts. He joined the Union Army as a chaplain when the Civil War began. By 1862, he was working with the Union forces in North Carolina.

In April 1863, the general appointed him "Superintendent of Negro Affairs." His job was to provide food, shelter, clothing, and medical care. He helped the many black people who had come to Union lines seeking freedom.

James believed that a lumber industry would help the Roanoke colony grow. He thought it would become economically self-sufficient. He had a sawmill built on the island. Lumber could be processed and sold to the government. Other natural resources could also be sold. He wanted to show that "free labor and technology was always better than the slave system." The sawmill had a powerful engine for its time. James also wanted freedmen to get some of the lumber. This way, they could build stronger homes. Their traditional homes were simple, one-room cabins made of split pine. The wind often blew through the cracks.

James wanted a "New Social Order in the South." He believed free institutions should replace slavery. The freed people had many skills. Many were artisans who made baskets, shoes, barrels, and boats. These could be traded or sold. James planned to sell both natural resources and the freedmen's crops. These included cotton, corn, fish, and grapes. This would help the colony become self-sufficient.

Missionary Aid

Much of the help, education, and social work on the island came from the American Missionary Association (AMA). The AMA worked to teach Christianity to formerly enslaved people. They sent missionaries to Roanoke Island to help the colony. They provided education, medicine, food, and religious services. They also taught the Gospel to the freedmen. Education classes were started for both children and adults.

Medical care in the colony was basic. Missionaries with little medical training gave medicine to the sick. They slowly learned which medicines helped certain diseases. There were no antibiotics or vaccines at the time. Medicine often involved folk remedies. Freedwomen knew a lot about herbal remedies. These were often more effective than what trained doctors could offer back then.

Other groups also sent help to the colony. These included the National Freedman's Relief Association. Unlike the AMA, this group was not focused on religion. It supported ending slavery. It encouraged freedmen to become self-disciplined and self-reliant.

Religious activities were very important. Missionaries held Sunday schools each week. The same teachers often led reading and writing classes during the week. Monthly Sunday school concerts featured students singing hymns and reciting Bible verses. Sunday evening worship services were well attended by the freedmen.

Education in the Colony

Education was seen as key to preparing freed people for citizenship. Under the Union military's guidance, the freedmen built schools, churches, and about 600 cabins. The schools were simple log cabins. Both children and adults were eager to learn to read and write. Most enslaved people had not received any formal education. Missionaries, mostly unmarried women teachers from New England, were the main teachers. About 27 teachers served on the island in total.

First Teachers and Schools

In October 1863, Elizabeth James arrived from the AMA. She was a cousin of Reverend James. She had experience as a teacher and school principal. In February 1864, she started the Lincoln School in Camp Foster. She noticed that students had "an intense desire to learn."

Ella Roper opened the Whipple School, which had 200 students. In March 1864, Samuel Nickerson started the Cypress Chapel School. The schools had limited supplies. But the freedmen's eagerness to learn kept each classroom full.

Decline of the Colony

As the number of freedmen grew to 3,900, the colony struggled to provide housing. Sanitation became a problem because there were no proper systems to handle waste. Infectious diseases began to spread in the crowded conditions. Diseases like smallpox, cholera, and dysentery appeared. At the time, people did not understand how these diseases spread. There were no effective treatments. The missionaries could do little more than the freedmen themselves. The colony began to decline. The growing number of freedmen also strained their relationship with the Union military.

As more freedmen joined the Union Army, their families relied more on the government for help. This was because the island was isolated. The Army pushed the refugees for more labor as the war continued. In late 1864, military officers forced some freedmen from Roanoke Island to work on the Dutch Gap Canal in Virginia. Commanders like Colonel Rush Hawkins had ordered their officers to treat freedmen "with respect." But tensions still arose. Bad harvest seasons caused residents to suffer from a lack of food. They had already found that the soil was too poor to support the large population. Food rations were reduced late in the war. This made the people even more desperate. According to Elizabeth James, a teacher, the freedmen would "steal fearfully" from each other. She said, "they are hungry" so "they steal anything they can lay their hands on anywhere."

When President Johnson issued his "Amnesty Proclamation" in 1865, he ordered that all property taken by the Union forces be returned. The lands used for the contraband camps were given back to their former Confederate owners. All the camps were closed. At the Roanoke Island Colony, the freedmen were told they had no rights to the land they had farmed for years. The US Army helped most freedmen return to the mainland if they chose to. Some returned to former plantations and became sharecroppers or tenant farmers. After the war, many freedmen moved from farms to towns and cities. They wanted to avoid white supervision and find more opportunities as skilled workers.

In late 1865, the Army took down the forts on the island. This further disrupted the colony. By 1867, the colony was officially abandoned. However, some freedmen continued to live on the island. The 1870 census showed 300 black people living in 60 households there.

Legacy of the Colony

The Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony was important for many reasons. It educated hundreds of freedmen in reading and writing. It paid adults and older children for their work. It helped them create churches and a community. It also helped keep their families together during a time of war.

Letters from Roanoke Island

You can read many letters written by Horace James, the missionary teachers, and some of the freedmen. They are available on the website, "Documents", Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony. These letters show what life was like for the freedmen and in the colony.

Commemoration

• In 2001, the Dare County Heritage Trail committee put up a marble monument to the Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony. It is located on the island at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. This site also remembers the first English colony.
• In 2004, the monument and island were added to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. This network was created by the National Park Service.