Racism

The anti-Chinese wall

Print shows Uncle Sam using “Congressional Mortar” and building blocks carried by ethnic workers to construct a wall with the stones. The stones are labeled “Law against Race, Prejudice, Jealousy, Competition, Fear, Anti Low Wages, Non-Reciprocity, [and] Congressional Blunders.” Across a river, in the background, Chinese workers work with picks to dismantle the Great Wall, as China opens its doors to trading with the West. Caption: The American wall goes up as the Chinese original goes down.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1882-03-29

Letter from Seth Low to Clark Howell

Trustee Seth Low of the Tuskegee Institute writes to the editor of the Atlanta Constitution, expressing his distress over recent criticism of Booker T. Washington that he has observed spreading in the South. The criticism surrounds Washington’s attendance at a luncheon in a Saratoga Hotel. Low clarifies that while Washington entered and left with John Wanamaker, he was not the escort of anyone in Wanamaker’s party. That said, Low points out that the newspaper reports of the Saratoga incident do not account for differences in race relations between the North and the South.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-08-30

Letter from Joseph Bucklin Bishop to Theodore Roosevelt

Joseph Bucklin Bishop encloses “one more shot” President Roosevelt’s “more amusing critics.” Bishop attributes the person referred to as “the jew”‘s success as a product of Leslie M. Shaw’s continued support. Bishop suggests that Roosevelt advise Shaw to quit.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-11-12

Letter from Joseph Bucklin Bishop to Theodore Roosevelt

General Thomas Hubbard has ordered that “the Jew’s” notice to Bishop to be withdrawn. (Newspaper editor Moses Strauss had apparently given Bishop a notice of dismissal.) Bishop hopes that Strauss might be driven out and that this will save the paper. Bishop comments that he never knew what friends he had until this episode, when many reached out to offer him support. He believes he could start his own paper if he wished to do so. He sends warm wishes and gratitude to President and Mrs. Roosevelt for their encouragement and thoughtfulness.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-10-21

Letter from Joseph Bucklin Bishop to Theodore Roosevelt

Joseph Bucklin Bishop warns President Roosevelt that “the Jew” has withdrawn and that he will discuss the matter with General Thomas H. Hubbard. Bishop alerts Roosevelt that “the Jew” has the support of Secretary of the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw and Iowa Governor Albert Baird Cummins, and that he may run for President in 1904. Bishop believes there is a “Jew syndicate” that wants to control the press.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-10-24

Letter from Silas McBee to Theodore Roosevelt

Silas McBee is disappointed with the prejudices of the people in the South but is glad to follow President Roosevelt’s leadership against the “degrading commercial spirit.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-02-09

Letter from Henry C. Payne to George B. Cortelyou

Postmaster General Payne sends Secretary to the President Cortelyou some minor suggested changes to the draft of a letter to James Adger Smyth, the Mayor of Charleston. The letter deals with the belief that “the great bulk of the colored people are not yet fit in point of character and influence to hold such positions.” He believes that the letter should be made public.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-11-26

Letter from Booker T. Washington to Theodore Roosevelt

Booker T. Washington believes that he can work with James Sullivan Clarkson and that Clarkson understands the Alabama situation. The opposition to “decent, property holding Negroes” by Republican leaders in Alabama is morally wrong and will affect the African American vote in the northern states. Washington hopes that President Roosevelt will rebuke the actions of these Republicans.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-09-27

Letter from Booker T. Washington to James Sullivan Clarkson

Booker T. Washington expresses his concerns over the lack of voting rights for African Americans in the South. He places the blame on Democrats and “lily white” Republicans.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-09-15

Letter from Edward James Livernash to Theodore Roosevelt

Edward James Livernash writes President Roosevelt on behalf of the Chinese Exclusion Commission of California to ask the president’s support for a national exclusion policy against Chinese immigrants. Several Pacific states have exclusion laws on their books and Livernash wants a nation-wide exclusion law. He is concerned over a change to the bill by Senator Platt. Organized labor supports the bill, as does the Bureau of Immigration.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-04-16

Letter from J. W. Hamilton to Theodore Roosevelt

Episcopal Bishop Hamilton praises President Roosevelt for his integrity and good morals. He applauds Roosevelt for inviting Booker T. Washington to the White House. Hamilton is pleased that Roosevelt has stood up to the “unworthy and disorderly conduct of the Southern sample” represented by the “good manners” of Preston S. Brooks and Senator Benjamin R. Tillman.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-02-25

Letter from Henry T. Allen to Caspar Whitney

Henry T. Allen, Chief of the Philippines Constabulary, updates Caspar Whitney on the military and political situation in the Philippines.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-02-13

Letter from James Sullivan Clarkson to Theodore Roosevelt

James Sullivan Clarkson encourages and advises President Roosevelt on the treatment of African Americans in the South. He describes his experiences with the Underground Railroad and his efforts in the Post Office Department to further the cause of African Americans.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-11-15

Letter from George von Lengerke Meyer to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Meyer has been an opponent of John Edward Charles O’Sullivan Addicks and approves of President Roosevelt’s refusal to recognize the Addicks faction in Delaware. He also approves of Thomas G. Jones’s appointment as judge. Meyer was very surprised at the South’s reaction and criticism of Roosevelt’s dinner with Booker T. Washington.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-11-15

Letter from Albert Whyte

Albert Whyte reports on the state of affairs in Hawaii. He says that the greed of sugar plantation owners has led Hawaii to be “overrun by the scum of creation.” Members of the Planters’ Association lament the lack of desirable labor, but Whyte believes they have not sincerely tried because they cannot get “white labor” as cheaply as workers of other ethnicities. He reports that the labor conditions on the plantations are practically like slavery and extremely degrading.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-11-18

Letter from Andrew Dickson White to John Hay

After reading newspaper reports of the uproar caused by President Roosevelt hosting Booker T. Washington, Ambassador White suggests that during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant both Frederick Douglass and General Buenaventura Baez dined at the White House. Douglas and Baez were both of African descent. In a handwritten note, Secretary of State Hay forwards the letter to Roosevelt even though he doubts Roosevelt is particularly concerned about the matter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-11-19

Letter from Thomas Lafayette Rosser to Theodore Roosevelt

Thomas Lafayette Rosser believes that Mr. Braxton is perfect for the work they are planning and, since Braxton is a Democrat from a good family, he can reach the class of men they need. There must be an understanding that work will only be done if lynching stops in the South and African Americans are treated kindly.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-11-20

Letter from William G. Sterett to Jerry

William G. Sterett encloses information on an unnamed applicant that was requested by President Roosevelt. He is also sending some of his thoughts on the racial situation in the South. Sterett does not believe that non-Southerners can properly understand the situation.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-11-12

Letter from George R. Koester to Theodore Roosevelt

George R. Koester provides a written statement about a series of lynchings he observed over eight years ago in Gaston, South Carolina. He asserts that false statements have been made about his role in the lynchings. If requested by President Roosevelt, Koester will resign from office.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-11-03

Letter from George R. Koester to Theodore Roosevelt

George R. Koester previously forwarded information about a lynching at Gaston, South Carolina, to President Roosevelt. He encloses an editorial on the Gaston affair written by Narciso Gener Gonzales of The State. Koester insists he did not take part in the lynching.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-11-04