"A book is a door that opens to a place you've never been to before."

                                        -Bernice Phillips McRae, Teacher at Brutonville School

 

The history of Blacks in Montgomery County, NC is rich and powerful, with many stories yet to be revealed. Although Montgomery County was not exempt from the pains of slavery, the resilience of the black community resounds.

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Montgomery County was formed in 1779 from Anson County. The county was named for General Richard Montgomery, a Revolutionary War soldier who was killed in the Battle of Quebec. During this time, Blacks contributed greatly to the economic progress of the colonies under the confinement of the cruelty of slavery. Before Montgomery County was founded, North Carolina Slave Codes were already implemented, the NC Slave Code of 1715 and a stricter code in 1741. The 1715 code required slaves to have approval from slave owners before leaving the plantation. The code also prevented slaves from gathering in groups, including gathering for worship services. The 1741 codes prevented slaves from carrying guns and from raising their own livestock. In 1830, North Carolina passed another law, making it a crime to teach slaves how to read or write. Blacks were then prevented from voting, preaching in public, and attending school when North Carolina passed a law in 1835.

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Black slaves, which could be found as part of Montgomery County's tax lists in 1782, were not excluded from the NC Slave Codes. The laws made it a crime for Blacks in Montgomery County and all the other counties in NC from being educated, financially independent, or politically involved. Blacks were minimized to being mere property and were treated as such. Even after the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves, Black Codes were instituted, denying Blacks the right to vote, serve on juries, and carry firearms. From the 1880s to the 1960s, the Jim Crow Laws (the continuation of the Black Codes) kept Blacks separated from Whites. Blacks could not drink from the same water fountains, eat in the same restaurants, nor attend the same schools as Whites. North Carolina required train stations to have separate waiting rooms, Black troops had to be separated from Whites and only commanded by Whites, and White and Black schools could not interchange books. The Jim Crow Laws remained in effect until 1964, when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. This Act ended segregation and discrimination. In 1965, the Voting Rights Act allowed Blacks the right to vote.  

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Although these Acts were established, it took the NAACP and people such as an Mt. Gilead native Julius Chambers to turn the tide. Montgomery County, NC has a history of Blacks who dedicated their lives to promote the rights of all. Now, there is a cry for social and economic mobility in the Black community. Racial equity and justice have been the theme of many Blacks in Montgomery County and the Black Journey Continues...