Letter from John Allison to Theodore Roosevelt
Subject(s): African American clergy, African American soldiers, American newspapers, Crime and race, Letters, Loeb, William, 1866-1937, Lynching, Police ethics, Punishment--Moral and ethical aspects, Race discrimination--Law and legislation--Criminal provisions, Race relations--Public opinion, Tennessee--Shelbyville
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John Allison encloses a letter to the editor from the Nashville Banner for President Roosevelt to read. Allison tells Roosevelt that this communication verifies what he wrote in a letter to William Loeb. Allison believes that racial traits define how African Americans act when they protect other members of their race from what Allison describes as “lawful” punishment. He says that an African American clergyman, J.A. Jones, admitted this. Allison cannot remember a time when an African American denounced or condemned the criminal acts of another African American. He says while mob violence is sometimes “winked” at by the community and (police) officers, “it is condemned by the White pulpit in the South, almost all of the newspapers of influence, and by public meetings of the White population.”
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1906-11-24
Creator(s)
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
3
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 John Allison to Theodore Roosevelt. [November 24, 1906]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o54902. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Allison, John, 1845-1920. Letter from John Allison to Theodore Roosevelt. [24 Nov. 1906]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 22, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o54902.
APA:
Allison, John, 1845-1920., [1906, November 24]. Letter from John Allison to Theodore Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o54902.
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 22, 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.
