Source 1: Jourdon Anderson, Letter "to my old master," August 7, 1865.

Jourdon Anderson (1825-1907) was enslaved by Colonel P. H. Anderson in Big Spring, Tennessee. After he was freed Anderson moved to Ohio with his wife Mandy. In 1865 Anderson received a letter from his former enslaver to return to the plantation to work. The following is an excerpt of Jourdan's response. The children - Milly, Jane, and Grandy - go to school and are learning well. You will also please state if there have been any schools opened for the colored children in your neighborhood. The great desire of my life now is to give my children an education and have them for good habits.

Q: Does Anderson's letter help historians understand how African American exercised their rights during Reconstruction? Why or why not? ​