Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry S. Pritchett
Subject(s): African Americans--Suffrage, Alabama, Cannon, Joseph Gurney, 1836-1926, Carmack, Edward Ward, 1858-1908, Civil service positions, Cleveland, Grover, 1837-1908, Constitutional amendments, Crum, William Demos, 1859-1912, Democratic Party (U.S.), Georgia, Hapgood, Norman, 1868-1937, Howell, Clark, 1863-1936, International relations, Jones, Thomas Goode, 1844-1914, Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865, McKinley, William, 1843-1901, Mississippi, Panama--Panama Canal, Presidents--Press coverage, Presidents--Public opinion, Race relations, Reconstruction (United States : 1865-1877), Rhodes, James Ford, 1848-1927, Schurz, Carl, 1829-1906, Slavery, Southern States, Sumner, Charles, 1811-1874, Tillman, Benjamin R. (Benjamin Ryan), 1847-1918, Vardaman, James Kimble, 1861-1930, Washington, Booker T., 1856-1915, Williams, John Sharp, 1854-1932
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President Roosevelt fundamentally agrees with Henry S. Pritchett and James Ford Rhodes about the Southern question. Although Roosevelt believes it is unwise and impractical to repeal the Fifteenth Amendment now, he does agree it should not have been passed in the first place. The president can also agree with Pritchett and Rhodes that Congress should not press for active enforcement of the Fifteenth Amendment; however, it cannot go too far with Mississippi Senator John Sharp Williams having more power than Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon. Roosevelt believes Southern states cannot enforce the laws themselves because they are trying to readopt slavery through peonage. Additionally, Southerners demand the exclusion of African Americans from offices, although Southerners have approved of Roosevelt’s choices for offices in the South on the whole even though the president has appointed some African Americans. Roosevelt insists he has tried Pritchett’s course of action, but it has not worked because the South has not met him even halfway. The president believes cooperation depends on Southerners, and the difficulty will vanish when they “quit lying.” Finally, Roosevelt says he has not observed outside criticism of the South and asks Pritchett how Congress needs to respond since it has not controlled the South. Roosevelt concludes by asking for one specific thing he is doing wrong, as he wants to learn.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1904-12-14
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Pritchett, Henry S. (Henry Smith), 1857-1939
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
12
Production Method
Record Type
Multi-image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry S. Pritchett. [December 14, 1904]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o190439. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry S. Pritchett. [14 Dec. 1904]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 30, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o190439.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1904, December 14]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry S. Pritchett.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o190439.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 30, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
