Lydia Maria Child

With the ending of the Civil War, the abolitionists of the North saw a hard task to follow: the integration of the former slaves as free and equal members of society. Most could not have realized that this effort would take many decades and involve conflict, hatred, and suffering nearly equal to that of the Civil War itself.

Author Lydia Maria Child, in her article "Advice From an Old Friend," gives suggestions which she believed would smooth the transition to freedom for the country's emancipated slaves. Showing an earnest optimism, tinged with naivete and what modern readers would consider condescension, Child explains that acceptance by whites will eventually come with the wearing of clean clothing, good manners, thriftiness, and the careful maintenance of a home and its garden.

For many years I have felt great sympathy for you...