letters

Administration of George T. Cook (September-December 1866)

In this collection of letters, Cook again focuses on the treatment of blacks in the local court system. As a result of the continued injustice, Cook requests military assistance in keeping the courts free of impartialities. Even though Cook notes improvement in the treatment of blacks in the civil court system, he suggests the return of the Freedmen’s courts. Of particular note is a case involving the murder of an African American by a white law student; the student escapes but is eventually captured. Other issues addressed in these letters are: poll taxes for the poor, the construction of a school building, low wages for blacks, the frequent abuse of blacks by whites, and the struggle of Freedmen to provide for their children.