Simeon Beard Explained

Simeon W. Beard was an American minister, teacher, and politician who worked in Charleston, South Carolina and then in Augusta, Georgia. He served in the Union Army.^[1] He was a delegate to Georgia's constitutional convention in 1867 and 1868.^[2] African American legislators were expelled from office in Georgia.^[3]

Beard was a member of the Union Waiter's Society.^[4] He taught in Charleston, South Carolina before returning to Augusta.^[5] His school in Charleston was established in the antebellum period.^[6] Beard's classes were relatively expensive and well supplied.^[7]

He was part of the Georgia delegation, along with Georgia Governor Rufus Bullock who met with the U.S. president.^[8]

He read the Declaration of Independence and Emancipation Proclamation at a Freedmen's Celebration.^[9] He addressed an 1870 meeting of Republicans.^[10]

The Sweetwater Enterprise described him as a bright mulatto and a fanatic. It noted his calls to arm Black militias to protect African Americans.^[11]

In 1867 he compared the American Civil War to the Biblical account of the parting of the Red Sea in Egypt to make way for freedom for the Jews.^[12]

He partnered with white Freedmen's Bureau agent John Bryant to establish the Loyal Georgian newspaper.^[13]

He was literate.^[14] Emily Edson Briggs described his appearance and wrote that "his words burn as if they had been forged in a redhot furnace."^[15]

See also

• Georgia Constitutional Convention of 1867–1868
• African-American officeholders during and following the Reconstruction era

Notes and References

1. Book: Old Springfield: Race and Religion in Augusta, Georgia. 9780964951150. Cashin. Edward J.. 1995.
2. Freedom's Lawmakers by Eric Foner Louisiana State Univerdity Press (1996) page 14 and 15
3. Book: To Build Our Lives Together: Community Formation in Black Atlanta, 1875-1906. 9780820326191. Dorsey. Allison. 2004.
4. Book: Black Politicians and Reconstruction in Georgia: A Splendid Failure. 9780820314389. Drago. Edmund L.. 1992.
5. Book: Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. 9781468096811. Simmons. William J.. Turner. Henry Mcneal. 1887.
6. Web site: The Negro in Our History. Woodson. Carter Godwin. 1947.
7. Book: Self-taught: African American Education in Slavery and Freedom: Easyread Large Bold Edition. 9781442995215. Williams. Heather Andrea. 3 June 2009.
8. Web site: The Olivia Letters: Being Some History of Washington City for Forty Years as Told by the Letters of a Newspaper Correspondent. Briggs. Emily Edson. 1906.
9. Web site: A Few Things about the Educational Work Among the Freedmen of South Carolina and Georgia: Also, Addresses Delivered at Augusta and Nashville. Lynch. James. 1865.
10. Web site: Simeon W Baird in DC 1870. March 23, 1870. 10. newspapers.com.
11. Web site: Clipped From The Sweetwater Enterprise. April 7, 1870. 1. newspapers.com.
12. Web site: Lincoln Lore. 2006.
13. Book: The Republican Party and the South, 1855-1877: The First Southern Strategy. 9780807816806. Abbott. Richard H.. 1986.
14. Book: Black Politicians and Reconstruction in Georgia: A Splendid Failure. 9780820314389. Drago. Edmund L.. 1992.
15. Web site: The Olivia Letters: Being Some History of Washington City for Forty Years as Told by the Letters of a Newspaper Correspondent. Emily Edson. Briggs. January 4, 1906. Neale publishing Company. Google Books.