Letter from Victor Howard Metcalf to Theodore Roosevelt
Subject(s): Asian Americans--Civil rights, California, California--San Francisco, California. Supreme Court, Constitutions--U.S. states, Free schools--U.S. states, Henshaw, Frederick W., 1858-1928, Immigrants--Education, Immigrants--Legal status, laws, etc., Indians of North America--Education--Law and legislation, Indochinese Americans--Education, International relations--Treaties, Iran, Japan, Japanese Americans--Education, Legislation--U.S. states, Mongolian students, San Francisco (Calif.). Board of Education, San Francisco Unified School District, Segregation in education--Law and legislation--U.S. states, Treaties--Language
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Victor Howard Metcalf updates President Roosevelt about the tense situation growing between Japan and the United States over the segregation of Japanese children in schools. The California Supreme Court’s decision will be based on whether or not the treaty with Japan had a “most favored nation” clause. This will determine what the United States’, and thus California’s, obligation is to educate immigrant Japanese students in the same manner that it educates immigrant children from European descent, who are educated as if they were American children. United States District Attorney Devlin seems to think the clause was not included. This needs to be determined to decide whether or not segregating the students was in violation of the treaty. Metcalf notes hostility to the Chinese that is nearly as bad as towards Chinese immigrants and mentions that both parties are in support of legislation to restrict Japanese immigrants.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1906-11-02
Creator(s)
Metcalf, Victor Howard, 1853-1936
Recipient
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
6
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 Victor Howard Metcalf to Theodore Roosevelt. [November 2, 1906]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o54801. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Metcalf, Victor Howard, 1853-1936. Letter from Victor Howard Metcalf to Theodore Roosevelt. [2 Nov. 1906]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 6, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o54801.
APA:
Metcalf, Victor Howard, 1853-1936., [1906, November 2]. Letter from Victor Howard Metcalf to Theodore Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o54801.
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. February 6, 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.
