Freedom did not exist without education. After emancipation, education turned out to be a paradox, illiterate blacks were still in chains, on the contrary, those who were literate were truly free (Hine, 250). Alozo J. Ransier observed in the South Carolina constitutional convention, “If there is one thing to which we can attribute the sufferings endured by these people, it is the gross ignorance of the masses” (Smith, 62). Therefore, during Reconstruction, the Freedmen's Bureau, in assistance with Northern freedmen's aid societies, established public schools for blacks (Smith 92). From 1866 to 1860, the Freedmen's Bureau hired 9,307 teachers, built 4,239 schools, and educated 247,333 black students (Smith, 92). By the time of the 1870s, $1 million would be appropriated for the support of African American education (Hine, 251). In these schools, Northern ministers, educated blacks, and missionaries taught children (Smith, 97). Furthermore, the efforts proved fruitful as the children were able to learn to read, write and behave on their own. Universities and colleges were also established to provide education beyond high school. These schools included Fisk University in Nashville, Avery in South Carolina, and Tougaloo in Alabama, focusing primarily on teacher training (Hine,