Race relations

Letter about the Republican Party in the South

The author writes about the problems with the Republican Party in the South, noting that some individuals have joined the Democratic Party even though they agree with Republican principles about almost everything except the “Negro Problem.” The author wishes that President Roosevelt would clean up the “Gang,” because that would allow these individuals to join the Republican Party again.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-12

Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington and President Roosevelt are both to receive honorary doctorates from Yale, and White people should not feel distressed by this fact. Honoring Washington will not lead to “nigger rule.” He, and all Black men, should be considered deserving of the same honors as Whites, especially because they have overcome greater challenges to earn them. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-22

Brutal politics

In the wake of President Roosevelt’s dinner with Booker T. Washington, this newspaper article criticizes a cartoon depicting Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt sharing a table with Washington. The author of the piece believes that Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt is to be respected, and that including her as a political target in this has “gone beyond all bounds and their work is not a question of politics, but a question of common decency.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-29

Race and Social Questions

The author of this article critiques those people who criticize President Roosevelt’s dinner with Booker T. Washington, and argues that Roosevelt acted well in recognizing Washington’s merit, while pointing out that he did not subject any southerners to “the dreadful humiliation” of sharing a table with Washington.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-31

A deplorable spirit

Senator Benjamin R. Tillman of North Carolina says no Southern gentleman will now share a table with President Roosevelt because he invited Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House. This is a sentiment shared among many Southern politicians, which is concerning. That Black people are treated extremely unfairly in the South is well-known and understood, but the public is supposed to believe that they are treated this way because they are disproportionately criminal. The response by Southern leaders to Washington’s dinner with Roosevelt show that this is not actually the issue at hand, rather that racism is. By degrading others, these men degrade themselves.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-11-04

Address of Wm. H. Taft, Secretary of War, delivered at Greensboro, North Carolina, on Monday, July 9, 1906

Secretary of War Taft addresses the Republican Convention of North Carolina on a number of topics, highlighting the differences between the Republican and Democratic parties and arguing that the Republican party has better helped the southern states than the Democratic party has. Taft believes the South’s loyalty to the Democratic party comes largely from its historical affiliation, and encourages Republicans in the south to show that they are not merely a party of office-seekers, but that they are working to improve the state of the South as a whole.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-10

Report from Tennessee Constitutional Convention of 1834

Representative McKinney argues to the Tennessee Constitutional Convention of 1834 that free black people are worse off than slaves because they neither have social and political equality with white people, nor have any sort of social safety net or people to care for them. He alleges that abolishing slavery in Tennessee would simply result in the slaves being taken out of Tennessee to other Southern states where they would still be enslaved and would be in worse conditions than if they had stayed in Tennessee. If, on the other hand, they contrived a law to free slaves and make sure they stayed in Tennessee to be freed, McKinney sees a world where the now-free black people would rise up to free slaves in other states by violent force. McKinney prefers instead to work towards ending slavery by returning black people to Africa.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1834

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Lewis

President Roosevelt tells William H. Lewis that he has written to have the young African American man enlisted at once and has demanded to know if there has been an order stopping enlistments in the “colored regiments,” and if so, why he has not heard of it.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-14

A lot of miserable rot

James Kimble Vardaman takes issue with Ray Stannard Baker’s recent article on “The Negro in Politics” in American Magazine. Baker “pretends” to quote Vardaman, Benjamin R. Tillman, Jeff Davis, and Hoke Smith, but has not correctly quoted anything they have said. Based on a conversation he had with Baker when he was governor, Vardaman believes that “the stupid little scribbler” is not interested in finding out the truth, but in “giving the educated negro’s side of the question.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-05-30

Letter to Interstate Commerce Commission

The author of this letter has received complaints from several southern people of color that they are not receiving the accommodations they are entitled to during travel on the railroads. The Interstate Commerce Commission has previously ruled that there is nothing in the laws of states that prohibits separate accommodations so long as they are exactly equal, but the complaints frequently state that these separate cars are frequently dirtier, lacking amenities, and are more difficult to access. The author asks the commission to investigate these claims and make the necessary changes to ensure equal treatment. Appended pages at the end suggest adding a paragraph to the letter pointing out that while the commission has worked to make sure there is no discrimination in the transportation of freight, it should be even more careful in preventing discrimination in the transportation of passengers.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-25

Mr. Roosevelt’s policies

The London Times relays reports from its correspondent in America regarding various issues and events in the United States. In particular, the correspondent provides updates on political policies and legislation, as well as events that have happened in Washington, D.C., and between the United States and countries abroad, such as Venezuela and Haiti.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-30

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Daniel W. Baker

President Roosevelt asks District Attorney Baker to give his personal attention to the murder case against United States Representative James Thomas Heflin. Roosevelt says Heflin must face consequences. He asks Baker to call on him to discuss the matter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-29

Letter from Charles William Anderson to William Loeb

Charles William Anderson is surprised at the news about John W. Prather, who has always appeared to be a man of character, and suggests Prather be moved to another post. Anderson intends to oppose efforts to nominate Governor Charles Evans Hughes for president. He asks William Loeb to share any information that might be useful to him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-21

Memorandum from Luke E. Wright

Luke E. Wright, former American Ambassador to Japan, writes about the importance of cultivating a friendship between the United States and Japan. He praises Japan as an historically accomplished nation that has adapted to become a modern world power. Wright says that the United States does not plan to try to conquer the seas or to acquire more territorial possessions in East Asia. There is no cause for aggression between the two countries, and so Wright encourages his fellow Americans to support fair and generous treatment of the Japanese. He decries those who have spoken against immigrants from friendly nations and argues that treating immigrants of any ethnicity poorly only creates tensions between nations. However, Wright argues that the working people of the two nations should not come into conflict with one another, and believes this feeling should not be considered hostility towards Japan.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-25

The California Weekly

Two articles from The California Weekly. “Terms of Friendship” declares that while there should be friendship and commerce between the United States and Japan, there must be separation of the two populations. It asserts that “the two races simply cannot dwell together” and cordial relationships between the two races are best left to politicians. “Victory in Defeat” proclaims that even though the Lincoln-Roosevelt League did not achieve their election goals to elect “a free, honest and capable” legislature in California, they still were victorious in inspiring Californians to demand their legislature “be good” and to fight against the machine.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-29

Shall the solid south be shattered?

Advance proof of an editorial by Julian LaRose Harris on the South’s political future, intended for publication in the March issue of Uncle Remus’s Home Magazine. Harris discusses the reasons why white southerners currently vote only for the Democratic Party, and why this has caused a stagnant political landscape that the Republican Party might exploit. Harris supports the disenfranchisement of African American citizens. However, he asserts that the focus on this disenfranchisement in the South has resulted in the diminishing influence of Southern Democrats over national Democratic Party policies and presidential nominations. He suggests that president-elect William H. Taft could encourage more bipartisan voting by white southerners if he heeds their political appointment suggestions and refuses to give federal appointments to African American candidates.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02

Letter from Benjamin Franklin Lee and John Porter to Theodore Roosevelt

Benjamin Franklin Lee and Secretary John Porter forward a resolution of the Baltimore Conference of the A.M.E. Church, appealing to President Roosevelt for an exhibit at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition to enlighten the public conscience about the advancement of colored people.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-04-22

Letter from Hale G. Parker and Charleton Hunt Tandy to Theodore Roosevelt

Two prominent African Americans, Hale G. Parker and Charleton Hunt Tandy, ask President Roosevelt to allow them to serve as special commissioners to gather information for an exhibit at the upcoming Louisiana Purchase Exposition concerning African American progress and accomplishment since emancipation. They enclose a petition which was sent to states with a “large colored population,” and which they now present to the President.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-04-22

Letter from William F. Aldrich to Theodore Roosevelt

William F. Aldrich writes to President Roosevelt to protest against the candidacy of J. O. Thompson as state chairman of the Republican Party and relating the actions of the “Lily-Whites.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-04-04

Letter from Nicholas Williams McIvor to John B. Pine

Nicholas Williams McIvor forwards a memo sent to Baron Kaneko regarding permission to erect a trust in Japan. McIvor goes on to discuss world politics at length.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-03-12