Jonathan is a Historian at Homestead National Historical Park dedicated to telling the story of the Homestead Act of 1862, how that changed the lives of people and, in particular the Black homesteaders.
He stated that theirs was a story of sacrifice, toil and hard work. The story of the Black homesteaders was lost for a long time but, due to the work of historians such as Jonathan, they have uncovered the information and have also compiled a book of the stories.
The original homestead act stated that any head of a household could apply for land as long as they were eligible for citizenship. That meant that Black individuals were not eligible. But, the Civil War changed that.
After the Civil War and Emancipation, Black Homesteaders, arrived in the Great Plains. They wanted to build new lives, provide for their families, educate their children, and own their own land as that was important to their freedom and equality.
Especially in the south, they faced some difficulties. Even though the law stated that they were eligible some of the local officials did not accept their requests to apply.
Jonathan stated that only about 50% of all homesteaders were successful - turning their acres into a successful farm. He shared that they Black homesteaders failed for a number of reasons. Most were extremely poor, and lacked the resources to establish new farms. The land was marginal - possibly with many trees and it was not easy to convert to farming. and, Black homesteaders in the south were subjected to hostility and violence.
History shows that a number of colonies of homesteads developed. in those colonies homesteaders found homesteading easier as they relied on each other. Friends and neighbors helped each other so that they saw more success. Nicodemus, in Kansas, was specifically established to create an all-black community. Hundreds arrived from Kentucky by train - they walked from the train stop to the community. Many were not impressed and about half of them turned around and went back to the train.
The community survived - and still exists today Even when the community was poor and struggling, their first priority was education and providing their children opportunities. They have an annual celebration commemorating their liberation from slavery.
There was a community in DeWitty, Nebraska which is in Cherry County. At the time it was established, there was an amendment that allowed homesteaders 640 acres - much more than they were able to claim in the past. That drew a lot of homesteaders from other areas of Nebraska as well as Canada. In DeWitty, inter-racial activities were common. Black baseball teams would play against white teams and the entire community would attend and celebrate together.
Jonathan shared the stories of a few specific individual Black homesteaders.
At one time Robert Ball Anderson was considered one of the wealthiest Black Americans in Nebraska. His homestead was in Butler County by he lost that to locusts. Moving to Box Butte County he eventually had 2,000 acres.
George Washington Carver was a homesteader. He was kidnapped, along with his mother and sister. He was just a baby when he was separated from his mother - he never saw her again. And, his father died before he was born. He applied to college and was accepted but refused when he arrived because of his race. He became a homesteader, eventually selling his property and using those funds to pursue an education. He became the most famous American agricultural scientist.
Oscar Michaux was the son of Black homesteaders. He wrote a journal of the struggles of the family and eventually published a book. That book became a movie and he became the first known Black filmmaker and director.
The research for the book "Homesteading the Plains" was conducted through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (https://www.unl.edu/plains/homesteading-research).
BIO
Jonathan Fairchild is the Historian at Homestead National Historical Park. His responsibilities as Historian for the National Park Service include providing research and reference assistance, preserving and protecting park cultural resources, and interpreting the significance of the Homestead Act on United States history.