The Role of Jack Yates in the Emancipation of African Americans - Report Example

Introduction

Jack Yates rose from slavery to become a beacon of hope, inspiration, mentor, and leader of the African American emancipation in post-Civil war United States. His legacy as a clergy and iconic African American leader traverses his role in the emancipation of African Americans to his champion of free slaves’ education through construction of schools. Yates legacy further lies in his role as the pioneer of the Antioch Baptist church. Although Yates legacy heavily lies in his religious and education contributions to the African Americans, his historical reputation in post-emancipation America lies in his self-sufficiency inspiration and mentorship of freed African American. His ideology is evident in his exhortation of former slaves to purchase home and construct their own homes. Among the land purchased by African American through Yates initiative is the current Emancipation Park. Therefore, Jack Yates played an important role in the settling of freed slaves by encouraging them to appreciate self-sufficiency, and by offering them education, inspiration, spiritual guidance, and acting as a role model.

Childhood/Slavery/Beliefs

Jack Yates was born Yates John Henry Jack on 11th July 1828 in Gloucester County, Virginia as a son of a slave couple Robert and Rachel Yates. Despite his status, Yates acquired reading and writing skills at an early age. He further honed his literal skills by reading the Bible and songbook that he stole at night and read by the pine knot light. Yates also became an entrepreneur at a tender age by raking meager earnings from fishing. He further attended religious gatherings held by slaves, which culminated in his conversion to Christianity at a tender age. Jack Yates married Harriet Willis, and they had eleven children. Yates later relocated to the Texan county of Matagorda in 1863 to accompany his wife Harriet Willis and their children who were immigrating with their masters to Texas. After the death of his wife, Yates remarried and had one child with his second wife.

After the emancipation of Yates family in 1865, they immigrated to Houston in search of a job. He was employed as a drayman and doubled as a Baptist preacher on Sundays and during the night. He later joined the Home Missionary Society mission for the African American in Texas as an aid to Isaac Sydney Campbell. Yates held meetings in Houston and the rest of Texas that culminated in his ordination as Baptist minister by Isaac Campbell and Elder J.J. Ryanhart. Later, Yates joined the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church newly organized by Reverend Crane in Houston in 1866 to become the first pastor of the church. Under Yates leadership, Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church and Antioch Missionary Baptist Church bought Emancipation Park for Houston’s black community on Dowling Street in 1872. Yates ultimately established his church, Bethel Baptist Church in 1872 after a disagreement with Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. Besides preaching, Yates also pursued a career as a carpenter and made a living by building houses for the freed African Americans after the Emancipation Declaration came into effect two years later after the end of the American Civil War.

Education

Yates played an instrumental role in fostering the education of freedmen in Houston and the entire state of Texas. He set up a school at Antioch to educate African American children and their parents. Yates also established Houston Baptist Academy in 1885 for teaching black children. Houston Baptist Academy was the pioneer education institution for freed blacks in Houston set up by Yates in partnership with two white missionaries, Florence Dysart and Jennie L. Peck. The academy taught writing, reading, and arithmetic alongside vocational trades. Houston Baptist Academy ultimately transformed into Houston College for Negroes. Other blacks’ schools pioneered by Yates include Jack Yates High School in Third Ward at Houston. Yates also personally cherished education as evident from his persistent message for the education of the African American as the true meaning for emancipation. He further influenced the location of Bishop College in Marshall after unsuccessfully lobbying. Yates also helped in the establishment of Houston College, which today forms the Texas Southern University.

Church

Yates began his career as a church minister at the first African American church in Houston, as the pioneer pastor of Antioch Missionary Church in 1866. His evangelical ministry and leadership of freed African American congregation set the foundation of the now one and half century old Antioch Baptist Church. Yates later helped the church relocate from the "brush arbor" to their privately owned building and later to a more studier structure that remains to date on Clay Street. He finally found his church, Bethel Missionary Church in 1891, where he ministered until his death in 1897. Besides his ministerial career, Yates also played an instrumental role in the organization of the first Baptist association for African Americans in Houston, known as the Old Land Mark Association that exists to date.

Legacy

Yates legacy includes his historical contribution to education and church for the freed African Americans in Houston and the larger state of Texas. However, his greatest legacy is his self-sufficiency doctrine that helped in the socioeconomic and political emancipation of freed blacks in Houston. Yates championed self-sufficiency among freed blacks in Texas as the road to full emancipation. He practically pursued his self-sufficiency doctrine by purchasing his plot at Andrews Street where he built his home and became a homeowner for five years following his emancipation. Yates became a role-model of self-sufficiency to his fellow Freedmen, and he encouraged them to purchase land and settle.

Yates legacy in education, church and emancipation of blacks are acknowledged up to date. Among the lasting evidence of his legacy is his house at Andrews Street, which is one of the first black-owned homes in the history of the U.S. Jack Yates High School, also earned its name as an honor to Yates role to the emancipation of Freedmen through education. Jack Yates High School has remained as a beacon of educational excellence in Third Ward for almost a century. It is a reflection of passion for the education of its forefather Jack Yates. Yates is further credited for the purchase of Emancipation Park for Freedman in the Fourth Ward town.

In the church, Yates ministerial work steered the growth of African American church membership and structures. His tenure at Antioch Baptist church saw the growth of the church membership by over four-fold, which further helped in the expansion of the church structure on a newly purchased land parcel. The newly built brick Antioch church on Robin Street remains standing since its inauguration in August 1879. Furthermore, the church became the pioneer brick structure fully owned by blacks in the entire Houston.

Yates also greatly revolutionized the socioeconomic status of freed African Americans in Houston. Besides preaching to the freed slaves, Yates also helped them to develop economically, educationally, and socially in order to settle down. He began the first educational institution for blacks in the entire Houston region at Antioch. Yates also positioned the church as the center for political, economic, social, educational, and recreational activities of the black community. His family also donated the 1870 Yates House to the Heritage Society as a museum in 1994. Yates House currently serves as a museum for showcasing the late 19th-century American lifestyle including furniture used by the family at the time.

Conclusion

Jack Yates lived a fulfilling life as both a church minister and beacon of hope, inspiration, and mentorship to the freedmen coming out of slavery destitution. His life followed the famous "rags-to-riches" biographical trajectory. Yates began as a slave after his birth but went ahead to shatter the glass ceiling imposed by his background to become one of the first African American landlords in post-Emancipation America. He shared his self-sufficiency dream with his fellow freedmen and further mentored them into making the dream a reality. His emancipation legacy reverberates throughout Houston and the larger Texas state to date. Among today’s evidence of Yates’ emancipation legacy are the Yates House museum and several basic and higher education institutions that trace back their root to Yates' education effort to emancipate freedmen from legally enforced stupidity. Yates legacy still permeates Houston culture as reflected in monumental sceneries such as Emancipation Park that reflects the power of blacks communalism as the road to blacks freedom.

Education

Yates played an instrumental role in fostering the education of freedmen in Houston and the entire state of Texas. He set up a school at Antioch to educate African American children and their parents. Yates also established Houston Baptist Academy in 1885 for teaching black children. Houston Baptist Academy was the pioneer education institution for freed blacks in Houston set up by Yates in partnership with two white missionaries, Florence Dysart and Jennie L. Peck. The academy taught writing, reading, and arithmetic alongside vocational trades. Houston Baptist Academy ultimately transformed into Houston College for Negroes. Other blacks’ schools pioneered by Yates include Jack Yates High School in Third Ward at Houston. Yates also personally cherished education as evident from his persistent message for the education of the African American as the true meaning for emancipation. He further influenced the location of Bishop College in Marshall after unsuccessfully lobbying. Yates also helped in the establishment of Houston College, which today forms the Texas Southern University.

Church

Yates began his career as a church minister at the first African American church in Houston, as the pioneer pastor of Antioch Missionary Church in 1866. His evangelical ministry and leadership of freed African American congregation set the foundation of the now one and half century old Antioch Baptist Church. Yates later helped the church relocate from the "brush arbor" to their privately owned building and later to a more studier structure that remains to date on Clay Street. He finally found his church, Bethel Missionary Church in 1891, where he ministered until his death in 1897. Besides his ministerial career, Yates also played an instrumental role in the organization of the first Baptist association for African Americans in Houston, known as the Old Land Mark Association that exists to date.

Legacy

Yates legacy includes his historical contribution to education and church for the freed African Americans in Houston and the larger state of Texas. However, his greatest legacy is his self-sufficiency doctrine that helped in the socioeconomic and political emancipation of freed blacks in Houston. Yates championed self-sufficiency among freed blacks in Texas as the road to full emancipation. He practically pursued his self-sufficiency doctrine by purchasing his plot at Andrews Street where he built his home and became a homeowner for five years following his emancipation. Yates became a role-model of self-sufficiency to his fellow Freedmen, and he encouraged them to purchase land and settle.

Yates legacy in education, church and emancipation of blacks are acknowledged up to date. Among the lasting evidence of his legacy is his house at Andrews Street, which is one of the first black-owned homes in the history of the U.S. Jack Yates High School, also earned its name as an honor to Yates role to the emancipation of Freedmen through education. Jack Yates High School has remained as a beacon of educational excellence in Third Ward for almost a century. It is a reflection of passion for the education of its forefather Jack Yates. Yates is further credited for the purchase of Emancipation Park for Freedman in the Fourth Ward town.

In the church, Yates ministerial work steered the growth of African American church membership and structures. His tenure at Antioch Baptist church saw the growth of the church membership by over four-fold, which further helped in the expansion of the church structure on a newly purchased land parcel. The newly built brick Antioch church on Robin Street remains standing since its inauguration in August 1879. Furthermore, the church became the pioneer brick structure fully owned by blacks in the entire Houston.

Yates also greatly revolutionized the socioeconomic status of freed African Americans in Houston. Besides preaching to the freed slaves, Yates also helped them to develop economically, educationally, and socially in order to settle down. Read More