Abstract
What the churches are doing in higher education on behalf of African Americans is a clear indication of the effectiveness of Christian witness. Reflection upon the earlier period (Reconstruction) reveals strengths and weaknesses instructive for us today (twentyTirst century). Historians are convinced, of course, that we must review the past to gain perspective for the present and future. The Reconstruction Period refers to the twelve-year span between 1865 and 1877, during and after the Civil War. It is the time when the states of the Confederacy are required to reaffirm their allegiance to the Union, abolish slavery, and rewrite their constitutions, which permit the full and equal participation of fformer enslaved African Americans. This study includes the immediate consequences of that era (the end of Reconstruction).