What was wrong with educating slaves?

Answer 1

Because if the slaves learn they will get smart and be able to figure out how to read sighs; to escape.

Answer 2

Education allows one to understand what is going on, how it can be changed and what options are available. It wouldn't do to have a slave be able to read the paper and see that some people had rights that they didn't have, they would get upset and create trouble.

Answer 3

Education was discouraged in slaves. In fact, many states made it illegal to educate slaves. It was quite easy to write a Writ of Mandamus. A slave posessing a Writ of Mandamus became a free person. A slave, who could write, could forge a Writ of Mandamus.

Answer 4

A fear of slave revolts spawned legislation barring white men from teaching slaves to write. A slave revolt in South Carolina 4 decades before the Declaration of Independence (Stono rebellion) spawned fear in slave owners, who promptly (1740) passed legislation to prevent slaves from learning to write. If the slaves can't write, they can't communicate on a wide scale, and without communication, they can't form a substantial rebellion.

Answer 5

Because if the slaves learn they will get smart and be able to figure out how to read sighs; to escape.