These are my children's classmate in their schoolhouse. The white woman on the far left was their teacher, until the KKK came and beat her to death. The KKK considered her a traitor to her white heritage for helping and educating blacks. Sarah was overcome with rage when she heard about what the KKK had done to her children's teacher.
It’s been 7 years since anyone’s been active on this blog. Readers of lifeasafreewoman.com, I have come to inform you that my beautiful wife, Sarah is dead. She’s been dead, for over 3 years. I haven’t had the heart to visit her blog again, and never had the heart to write something about her death, until now. I know Sarah would have wanted her readers to know what happened to her.
I’ve read Sarah’s last article, that she posted in 1870 about her being absolutely terrified about the KKK. But she changed so much from that article as the years went by. She witnessed so many horrors of abuse on blacks the KKK inflicted, and she never forgot every single beaten, lynched, or burned black body she saw. Instead of cowering down to the KKK, Sarah’s anger grew every single time she witnessed the KKK’s injustice. We always used to talk about the KKK when the children were asleep, but as the years went by I could sense how Sarah’s attitude shifted from one of fear to one of defiance.
As the KKK’s actions progressively worsened, Sarah’s anger toward them skyrocketed. I believe the final straw that crossed Sarah’s line was when the KKK beat my children’s teacher to death. This incident happened several days before Sarah’s death, when she died in January 2, 1884. On December 28th, 1884, 2 KKK members plummeted down the door of the small schoolhouse for black children. They then proceeded to grab the white woman who was a former abolitionist but now served as a passionate teacher for my children. In front of all 16 black children of the schoolhouse, some who were even as young as 6 years old, they beat the teacher to death. For some strange reason, they did not set fire to the schoolhouse and suffocated the children in flames, but instead, forced them to watch the teacher scream in pain until she was knocked unconscious and died. I still remember my children’s solemn faces when they came home that day, or how Charlie burst into tears when I asked him what was wrong. But what I will never forget as long as I live, is Sarah’s face. In 1870, she would of been straight faced for the children’s sake, but would have wanted to cower in fear and hug me tightly. But in 1874, her face was contorted in such a unrecognizable mask of rage when she heard Amy tell the story of what the KKK did to her white teacher and how she and Charlie were forced to watch. I think this was the last straw of KKK abuse she could handle. I know Sarah, and she was a stubborn, defiant woman when she truly feels for something. And the look on her face showed that she truly had feelings for this, and truly abhorred the KKK.
It happened the next day when I returned home with my children from town. Sarah was gone, and that was strange that she would leave without any notice. I didn’t think much of it, until she still wasn’t here at night. When I went outside, and back to the town, I saw her lifeless body, hanging on a tree. Sarah had been lynched.
I never cried when I was abused as a slave. But I always cry when matters have to do with Sarah. I wept like a little girl a decade ago, when Sarah “broke up” with me, after angry over a fight and threatening to never speak to me again. And the moment I saw Sarah’s lifeless body, the tears kept streaming out. I stroked her body, and I couldn’t believe it. A mixture of emotions swept through me - sadness, anger, grief, love, hatred. All I knew for sure was that I love Sarah. I love her.
Later I found out that Sarah had been lynched for speaking out against a KKK officer. I should have known it was coming, after seeing her mask of rage and hatred toward the KKK. She no longer chose to cower down to the KKK, but needed to rise against them.
I love Sarah. She was my other half, and I still cry at bed sometimes, missing her. She should by my side, and she should be next to me watching our beautiful children grow. She was so adamant about how blacks should never be taken advantage of whites, and I hate to say, but nothing has bettered, but everything has just gotten worse.
The KKK has only gotten increasingly violent, and they continue to lynch innocent blacks and burn schoolhouses. It must be in relation to the US Vs. Cruikshank Act, where the Supreme court ruled that the federal government did not have the authority to punish people who violated civil rights, but only the state does. However, I am living in the South, where states have no regard for blacks civil rights and police officers stand and laugh as blacks are being abused. It must sicken Sarah to watch from heaven, and see all the white men unfairly take advantage of black men and get away scott free.
I have lost all trust in our federal government. First was Grant, who came in office in 1869. Sarah and I had hopes for him, but he ended up as a disappointment, never bothering to actually make real improvements for blacks as reconstruction. He was always caught up in political scandals that took his time. Then was the Compromise of 1877, which recently made the Republicans remove the federal government troops from the South. Some of these federal government troops actually protected the blacks, from acting as a fear factor for racist white individuals. I cannot, no I do not want to imagine what white people will do to us now that there are no federal government troops, and the federal government cannot punish them for civil rights offenses.
I love Sarah, my beautiful wife. I know that she is in heaven right now, and maybe in heaven she can even read her blog. Well if you can read this Sarah, I miss you so much I can’t even put it in words, but still, I’m proud of the immense courage you had to stand up to the KKK. I wish someday I could have that courage. Meanwhile, I hope I am raising the children the way you would have wanted them to grow up. Once again, I love you so so so much, See you in heaven when I get there.
I’ve read Sarah’s last article, that she posted in 1870 about her being absolutely terrified about the KKK. But she changed so much from that article as the years went by. She witnessed so many horrors of abuse on blacks the KKK inflicted, and she never forgot every single beaten, lynched, or burned black body she saw. Instead of cowering down to the KKK, Sarah’s anger grew every single time she witnessed the KKK’s injustice. We always used to talk about the KKK when the children were asleep, but as the years went by I could sense how Sarah’s attitude shifted from one of fear to one of defiance.
As the KKK’s actions progressively worsened, Sarah’s anger toward them skyrocketed. I believe the final straw that crossed Sarah’s line was when the KKK beat my children’s teacher to death. This incident happened several days before Sarah’s death, when she died in January 2, 1884. On December 28th, 1884, 2 KKK members plummeted down the door of the small schoolhouse for black children. They then proceeded to grab the white woman who was a former abolitionist but now served as a passionate teacher for my children. In front of all 16 black children of the schoolhouse, some who were even as young as 6 years old, they beat the teacher to death. For some strange reason, they did not set fire to the schoolhouse and suffocated the children in flames, but instead, forced them to watch the teacher scream in pain until she was knocked unconscious and died. I still remember my children’s solemn faces when they came home that day, or how Charlie burst into tears when I asked him what was wrong. But what I will never forget as long as I live, is Sarah’s face. In 1870, she would of been straight faced for the children’s sake, but would have wanted to cower in fear and hug me tightly. But in 1874, her face was contorted in such a unrecognizable mask of rage when she heard Amy tell the story of what the KKK did to her white teacher and how she and Charlie were forced to watch. I think this was the last straw of KKK abuse she could handle. I know Sarah, and she was a stubborn, defiant woman when she truly feels for something. And the look on her face showed that she truly had feelings for this, and truly abhorred the KKK.
It happened the next day when I returned home with my children from town. Sarah was gone, and that was strange that she would leave without any notice. I didn’t think much of it, until she still wasn’t here at night. When I went outside, and back to the town, I saw her lifeless body, hanging on a tree. Sarah had been lynched.
I never cried when I was abused as a slave. But I always cry when matters have to do with Sarah. I wept like a little girl a decade ago, when Sarah “broke up” with me, after angry over a fight and threatening to never speak to me again. And the moment I saw Sarah’s lifeless body, the tears kept streaming out. I stroked her body, and I couldn’t believe it. A mixture of emotions swept through me - sadness, anger, grief, love, hatred. All I knew for sure was that I love Sarah. I love her.
Later I found out that Sarah had been lynched for speaking out against a KKK officer. I should have known it was coming, after seeing her mask of rage and hatred toward the KKK. She no longer chose to cower down to the KKK, but needed to rise against them.
I love Sarah. She was my other half, and I still cry at bed sometimes, missing her. She should by my side, and she should be next to me watching our beautiful children grow. She was so adamant about how blacks should never be taken advantage of whites, and I hate to say, but nothing has bettered, but everything has just gotten worse.
The KKK has only gotten increasingly violent, and they continue to lynch innocent blacks and burn schoolhouses. It must be in relation to the US Vs. Cruikshank Act, where the Supreme court ruled that the federal government did not have the authority to punish people who violated civil rights, but only the state does. However, I am living in the South, where states have no regard for blacks civil rights and police officers stand and laugh as blacks are being abused. It must sicken Sarah to watch from heaven, and see all the white men unfairly take advantage of black men and get away scott free.
I have lost all trust in our federal government. First was Grant, who came in office in 1869. Sarah and I had hopes for him, but he ended up as a disappointment, never bothering to actually make real improvements for blacks as reconstruction. He was always caught up in political scandals that took his time. Then was the Compromise of 1877, which recently made the Republicans remove the federal government troops from the South. Some of these federal government troops actually protected the blacks, from acting as a fear factor for racist white individuals. I cannot, no I do not want to imagine what white people will do to us now that there are no federal government troops, and the federal government cannot punish them for civil rights offenses.
I love Sarah, my beautiful wife. I know that she is in heaven right now, and maybe in heaven she can even read her blog. Well if you can read this Sarah, I miss you so much I can’t even put it in words, but still, I’m proud of the immense courage you had to stand up to the KKK. I wish someday I could have that courage. Meanwhile, I hope I am raising the children the way you would have wanted them to grow up. Once again, I love you so so so much, See you in heaven when I get there.
This political cartoon mocks the US Vs. Cruikshank case, which ruled that only states could enforce the punishments of civil rights offenders. The federal government had no power in punishing civil rights offenders. However, many southern states are extremely racist and some of its police officers are part of the KKK. The bill represents how the concept of state's rights allow blacks to be abused by white men, and allow the white men to get away with lynching black men in racist states like Mississippi. I worry about me and my family, who live in the racist state of Virginia.