Letter from Emory Speer to Theodore Roosevelt
Subject(s): African American soldiers--Crimes against, Armed Forces--African American troops, Books and reading, Connecticut, Georgia, Germany--Magdeburg, Graydon, Alexander, 1752-1818, Irving, Washington, 1783-1859, Lewis, Alfred Henry, 1857-1914, Lynching, Massachusetts--Deerfield, Military discharge, Presidents--Press coverage, Queen Anne's War (United States : 1702-1713), Racism, Siege of Magdeburg (Germany : 1631), Southern States, Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), Tillman, Benjamin R. (Benjamin Ryan), 1847-1918, Trumbull, Jonathan, 1710-1785, Tserclaes, Johann, Count of Tilly, 1559-1632, United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 25th, United States. Congress, Washington, George, 1732-1799
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Judge Speer provides historical justification for President Roosevelt’s actions in the Brownsville affair, involving the mass dishonorable discharge of African American soldiers, citing George Washington’s similar discharge of rowdy troops. Speer also mentions the Raid on Deerfield during Queen Anne’s War and the siege of Magdeburg during the Thirty Years’ War. Speer disagrees with Senator Tillman’s assessment that Roosevelt “lynched” the discharged soldiers, as did the editorial boards of several prominent Georgia newspapers.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1907-01-14
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
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 Emory Speer to Theodore Roosevelt. [January 14, 1907]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o55201. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Speer, Emory, 1848-1918. Letter from Emory Speer to Theodore Roosevelt. [14 Jan. 1907]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. December 19, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o55201.
APA:
Speer, Emory, 1848-1918., [1907, January 14]. Letter from Emory Speer to Theodore Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o55201.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. 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. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. December 19, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
