Letter from Henry S. Pritchett and James Ford Rhodes to Theodore Roosevelt
Subject(s): African Americans--Civil rights, Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885, Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Periodicals, Race discrimination, Race relations, Reconstruction (United States : 1865-1877), Rhodes, James Ford, 1848-1927, Root, Elihu, 1845-1937, Sumner, Charles, 1811-1874, Voting--Law and legislation--U.S. states, Washington, Booker T., 1856-1915
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Henry S. Pritchett, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, writes to President Roosevelt about “the Negro question.” Pritchett claims that Republican Reconstruction was a failure, and argues that the federal government should stop trying to enforce the Fourteenth Amendment, since legislative threats are not making the Southern states comply. He recommends that the Southern states be allowed to control their own voting laws, subject only to outside criticism without force. Pritchett admits the Southern states will immediately disenfranchise most African Americans, but that this will be fair since they will also disenfranchise ignorant whites. He believes Roosevelt will still be allowed to make some African American appointments pending approval of local white leaders. Pritchett encloses an article he wrote on the subject and pages from James Ford Rhodes’s history. Rhodes, a historian specializing in Reconstruction, adds a postscript to Pritchett’s letter saying he agrees with Pritchett’s recommendations and will discuss with Pritchett conversations he had previously on the subject with Roosevelt.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1904-12-06
Creator(s)
Pritchett, Henry S. (Henry Smith), 1857-1939; Rhodes, James Ford, 1848-1927
Recipient
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
4
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 Henry S. Pritchett and James Ford Rhodes to Theodore Roosevelt. [December 6, 1904]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o47904. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Pritchett, Henry S. (Henry Smith), 1857-1939; Rhodes, James Ford, 1848-1927. Letter from Henry S. Pritchett and James Ford Rhodes to Theodore Roosevelt. [6 Dec. 1904]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 29, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o47904.
APA:
Pritchett, Henry S. (Henry Smith), 1857-1939; Rhodes, James Ford, 1848-1927., [1904, December 6]. Letter from Henry S. Pritchett and James Ford Rhodes to Theodore Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o47904.
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 29, 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.
