During pre-Civil War America, enslaved African Americans were not recommended to be taught any form of education such as reading or writing. Many whites believed that if slaves learned to read and write, they would begin to think for themselves and create plans for rebellion. There would definitely have been a rebellion if they had been taught any form of education. To ensure that African American slaves did not attempt to educate themselves, they provided harsh punishments for anyone who tried to learn to read and write. Education during the pre-African American civil rights movement was much different than it was during pre-Civil War America. African Americans had schools they could attend, but they were segregated from whites. The schools there were not located in pleasant places like those attended by whites. African American schools did not have the same quantity and quality of supplies as white schools. Examples of how African Americans were not given the same type of tools to help them in their education were shown in A Lesson Before Dying. African Americans had books with missing and falling apart pages, limited supplies of chalk, pencils, paper, and other learning supplies while schools attended by whites had more than enough supplies and new books