Reconstruction-Era Education and Long-Run Black-White Inequality

The Reconstruction era of American history (c. 1866–1877) saw widespread efforts to educate recently freed people—efforts that were partially curtailed after Reconstruction. This paper examines the impact of childhood exposure to educational opportunity during Reconstruction on later-life outcomes for recently freed people. Using data on the number of teachers in Black schools and a linked census sample, we find that Black children exposed to greater educational opportunity during Reconstruction had improved occupational standing as adults. Their sons also experienced gains, suggesting that Reconstruction-era educational efforts, had they persisted, would have impacted Black-White gaps into the twentieth century.