“Steamboat School” by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Ron Husband.
Disney Publishers, New York, 2016, 32 pages, Grades 2-3.
Racists judge people by the color of their skin. These judgements are usually hateful and demeaning and unfortunately, have been in American culture for centuries.
Racism is the practice of this bigotry and sometimes becomes part of state laws. This is particularly dangerous because the evils of racism became institutionalized.
Throughout American history, courageous people have worked against this injustice. Deborah Hopkinson has written a book about the prohibition of African-American children going to school in the 1840s in St. Louis. In this story based on true events, we see how heroic educators fought back and won the battle to educate African-American children. The name of this important story is “Steamboat School.”
Mama is excited. A new school for African-American children has been opened by a minister in town. The children have to work in the basement of a house because Missouri state law forbids African-American children from going to school. But Reverend John Barry Meachum decides that Missouri law is unjust in that it deprives African-American children from basic dignity and opportunities for a better life. Because of this, he organizes a school in the basement of a home.
All the windows have to be covered to avoid being discovered by the police. The children read by candlelight and eagerly plunge into their studies. All is going well until someone betrays them to the police. Immediately the school is raided and all the children are sent home. Deprived of their education, the children are at a loss of how to respond.
Reverend Meachum is not one to be easily defeated. As a young man, he worked hard and bought his own freedom from slavery. Later he walked hundreds of miles to St. Louis and bought his wife’s freedom. He did this through learning how to be a carpenter and other manual trades.
Gazing across the Mississippi River, he can see the Illinois shore. Both Illinois and Missouri can claim control of part of the Mississippi River, but not both sides. Cleverly, the Reverend begins building a steamboat and after great effort completes the structure. Compared to other steamboats, this boat is not very large. But it does float and can be anchored in the Mississippi River which is controlled by federal law. There is no way the State of Missouri can control schools floating on the river.
Soon the Reverend sends notice to all his former students. Class will soon be held in the middle of the river. Early one morning all the children slip out of their homes and gather on the Missouri shoreline. A rowboat waits nearby. What happens?
Do the children go to school on the steamboat? Can a state override a federal law? What kind of a person is Reverend Meachum? Have you ever really wanted to learn something? What would you do to achieve that goal? What do the children do? To find out, go to the library and check out this fine story of courage and ingenuity, “Steamboat School” by Deborah Hopkinson.
“Steamboat School” was placed on Booklist Editors starred choices for 2016. When we think about all the educational opportunities available to people today it is hard to fathom a time in America when such opportunities were denied. Historical understanding and books like “Steamboat School” can help us cherish our opportunities. I hope you get a chance to read and discuss this fine book with the children in your family. It has an important story to tell and is available in many public libraries.
