Thomas Dixon and The Clansman Textbook Images of

Transcription

Thomas Dixon and The Clansman Textbook Images of
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Thomas Dixon and The Clansman
Textbook Images of Reconstruction:
Leadership, Legislation, and the Demographic Legacy of Slavery
Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868), founder of Stevens Technical College and Architect of Reconstruction
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go to Education
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Thaddeus Stevens
1792 - 1868
Thaddeus Stevens was a wealthy
Pennsylvania lawyer when he entered the House
of Representatives as a Whig in 1848. Early in
1850, his first speech against slavery immediately
drew the admiration of his adversaries. "Our
enemy . . . has a general now. This man is rich,
therefore we cannot buy him
. . . We cannot seduce him. . . We cannot allure
him. . . He is in earnest. He means what he says.
He is bold. He cannot be flattered or frightened."
Growing impatient with the Whig Party's
moderate positions, Stevens lost his congressional
seat in 1853 and returned to Congress in 1859 as a
Republican. Under Lincoln, Stevens served as
chairman of the House Ways and Means
Committee. After the war, he led the Radical
Republicans, opposing both Lincoln and then
Andrew Johnson, endorsing military occupation
of the South. He also insisted on rigid
enforcement of new rights for African Americans,
guiding the passage of the Thirteenth and
Fourteenth Amendments. When Johnson opposed
the Fourteenth Amendment, Stevens led the call
for his impeachment.
Mathew Brady Studio Imperial salted-paper print with ink and pencil, circa 1858
54.9 x 45.3 cm (21 5/8 x 17 7/8 in.); 62.6 x 55.3 cm (24 5/8 x 21 3/4 in.) mount (unmatted)
Chicago Historical Society, Illinois
See also links to the Thaddeus Stevens Papers
Also read what a contemporary of Stevens had to say about him-- Carl Schurz:
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Overview
Object List
Acknowledgments
Public Programs
EXHIBIT
SECTIONS
I. Slavery--The
Peculiar
Institution
II. Free Blacks in the
Antebellum
Period
III. Abolition
IV. The Civil War
V. Reconstruction
VI. Booker T.
Washington Era
VII. World War I and
Postwar Society
VIII. Depression, New
Deal, and World
War II
IX. Civil Rights





INTRODUCTION
The exhibition The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship,
showcases the incomparable African American collections of the Library of
Congress. Displaying more than 240 items, including books, government
documents, manuscripts, maps, musical scores, plays, films, and recordings, this
is the largest black history exhibit ever held at the Library, and the first
exhibition of any kind to feature presentations in all three of the Library's
buildings.
The major presentation in the Jefferson Building, The African American
Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship, explores black America's quest for
equality from the early national period through the twentieth century. The
Library's materials, gathered over the two hundred years of its existence, tell the
story of the African American experience through nine chronological periods that
document the courage and determination of blacks, faced with adverse
circumstances, who overcame immense odds to fully participate in all aspects of
American society. The exhibit includes the work of abolitionists in the first half
of the nineteenth century, depictions of the long journey following the Civil War
towards equality in employment, education and politics, strategies used to secure
the vote, recognition of outstanding black leaders, and the contributions of sports
figures, black soldiers, artists, actors, writers and others in the fight against
segregation and discrimination.
The items in this exhibit attest to the drama and achievement of this remarkable
story. Although they give a comprehensive, rich picture of more than 200 years
of African American struggle and achievement, they represent only a rivulet of
the collections the Library of Congress holds in this essential part of American
history.
African American Odyssey Home
Online Survey on Library of Congress Exhibitions
Exhibitions Home Page
American Memory Home Page
Library of Congress Home Page
Library of Congress
Questions: American Memory Help Desk (09/02/98)
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Textbook Images of Reconstruction:
Education
Go to Suffrage
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Textbook Images of Reconstruction:
Suffrage
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Textbook Images of Reconstruction:
Intruders
go to Vigilantes
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Textbook Images of Reconstruction:
Vigilantes
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Lynching in Maryland
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Judge Lynch's Court
Mob Justice in Maryland During the Age of Jim Crow, 1860s - 1930s
Project Introduction
Biogrphical Information of Lynching Victims
Lynching Profile Characteristics
Tables and Statistics on Maryland Lynchings
Researchers' Work Journal
"Lynching"
"He died at the hands of persons unknown." This was a common conclusion publicly expressed by law enforcement and court personal following preliminary investigations of a social
phenomena known as "lynching." Lynching has likely evolved from its original meaning to one that may uncomfortably, and often inaccurately serve as an umbrella for many types of mob activity
resulting in the death of individuals. The term "lynch" likely has its origins in eighteenth century Virginia. Charles Lynch, a Revolution Era Virginia Planter and Justice of the Peace, became infamous
among loyalists for his willingness to circumvent legal convention and due process in efforts to frustrate Toryism. In its earliest manifestations, "lynching" was a form of vigilantism perpetrated for a
number of reasons. During the time period under consideration, lynchings often took place after court trials, and in lieu of sentencing and/or capital punishment scheduled to be carried out by the state.
Though the act represented a usurpation of the due process system (if only the last stages of it), lynchings often received the support and approval of the general citizenry across lines of race, ethnicity, and
gender. Lynchings of this type -- presumably the most common type -- appeared to benefit from a presumption of moral defensibility. In many cases the guilt of the person lynched was beyond question.
Only in a few instances were lynch mob members pursued with any vigor or zeal, even when authorities knew their identities.
During the time period under consideration, lynchings were also perpetuated as a form of social control, especially it seems, the maintenance of white supremacy. In such cases, "lynching" not only
connotated death by execution, but often execution with guilt of the executed in doubt, or at least guilt for the crime for which he/she was being punished. Often the lynched represented some threat to the
established order of white supremacy, or a potential threat thereto. In these cases where the act of lynching seemed intended to serve as an example to other possible social transgressors, the execution (or
murder) was accompanied by mutilation, dismemberment, and display. Historically, one question has presented itself: at what point did lynching evolve from its earlier, moralistic, vigilantism to its latter
expression of criminalistic social control? We hope to uncover the resources for entertaining such a question.
Newspaper Search and Stripping for
Lynchings in Maryland, 1860s – 1930s
From a list of lynchings known to have taken place in various Maryland counties between the 1860s and the 1930s, this project will seek to document the events as recorded in the press. When at all
available, the local press will be used, moving out to the more regional presses only as fallback options. The dates listed for each lynching incident are fairly accurate (+/- 10 to 12 weeks). Most of the
newspapers to be used are weeklies, so where date inaccuracy exists it should not pose a major problem.
Starting with the first report of the alleged trigger crime and following the developments through to the lynching and any fall-out from the lynching, this prioject will produce a bibliographical reference
sheet for each lynching which includes the name of the press and information on each individual article published pertaining to the crime and the subsequent lynching. Bibliographic references will
include the page number for each article appearing in the press. Once any given lynching’s coverage in a press has been fully stripped, a "Lynching Profile Questionnaire" will be completed, and
characteristics compiled in table formats. We will endeavor to complete this project in four or five weeks.
.
Biogrphical Information of Lynching Victims:
Completed
Fully - Biographical Sketch; Newspaper Article Sources Scanned; (Known) Images Scanned; Related Collections (file folder) Noted; Survey Profile Completed
Henry Davis
Howard Cooper
MSA SC 3520-13635
MSA SC 3520-13733
Garfield King
MSA SC 3520-13747
Needs (Level 1) - Biographical Sketch; Related Collections (file folder) Noted
George Briscoe
MSA SC 3520-13731
James Bowens
MSA SC 3520-13745
Wright Smith
MSA SC 3520-13748
Townshend Cook
MSA SC 3520-13732
Joe Vermillion
MSA SC 3520-13738
Matt Williams
MSA SC 3520-13749
William Burns
MSA SC 5339-70-28
James Reed
MSA SC 5339-70-27
King Johnson
MSA SC 5339-70-29
Marshall E. Price
MSA SC 3520-13744
Stephen Williams
MSA SC 3520-13742
Nicholas Snowden
MSA SC 3520-13735
Charles Whitley
MSA SC 3520-13736
Benjamin Hance
MSA SC 3520-13737
Asbury Green
MSA SC 3520-13739
James Taylor
MSA SC 3520-13740
Isaac Kemp
MSA SC 3520-13741
Jacob Henson
MSA SC 3520-13743
William "Cuba" Andrews
MSA SC 3520-13746
Needs (Level 2) - Biographical Sketch; Newspaper Article Sources Scanned; (Known) Images Scanned; Related Collections (file folder) Noted; Survey Profile Completed
John Henry Scott
George Armwood
MSA SC 3520-13730
MSA SC 3520-13750
Incomplete
Note: More preliminary information is needed on the incomplete occurences. For now, these individual will not be persued only noted as "suspected" lynchings. Email david if you come across greater
information on anyone listed here.
#1 not identified
MSA SC 3520-13729
(unknown) Simms
MSA SC 3520-13795
(unknown) Biggus
MSA SC 3520-13791
(unknown) Johnson
MSA SC 3520-13790
Michael Green
MSA SC 3520-13788
(unknown) Lezer
MSA SC 3520-13792
James Allen
MSA SC 3520-13787
Selected Bibliography
Brundage, W. Fitzhugh. Lynching in the New South : Georgia and Virginia, 1880-1930 . Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1993.
Capeci, Dominic J. The Lynching Of Cleo Wright. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1998.
Chadbourn, James Harmon. Lynching And The Law. Chapel Hill, The University of North Carolina Press, 1933.
Cutler, James Elbert. Lynch-Law; An Investigation Into The History Of Lynching In The United States. Montclair, N.J., Patterson Smith, 1969.
Downey, Dennis B. No Crooked Death : Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and the lynching of Zachariah Walker. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1991.
Gambino, Richard. Vendetta: A True Story Of The Worst Lynching In America, The Mass Murder Of Italian-Americans In New Orleans In 1891, The Vicious Motivations Behind It, And The Tragic
Repercussions That Linger To This Day. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1977.
Gunning, Sandra. Race, rape, and lynching : the red record of American literature, 1890-1912. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Hall, Jacquelyn Dowd. Revolt Against Chivalry: Jessie Daniel Ames And The Women's Campaign Against Lynching. New York: Columbia University Press, 1979.
Howard, Gene L. Death At Cross Plains: An Alabama Reconstruction Tragedy. University, Ala: University of Alabama Press, 1984.
Miller, E. C. Invitation To A Lynching. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1975.
Moses, Norton H. Lynching And Vigilantism In The United States : An Annotated Bibliography. Compiled by Norton H. Moses. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1997.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Burning At Stake In The United States : A Record Of The Public Burning By Mobs Of Five Men, During The First Five Months Of 1919, In
The States Of Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, And Texas. Baltimore, MD : Black Classic Press, 1986.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Thirty Years Of Lynching In The United States, 1889-1918. New York, Negro Universities Press, [1969].
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Raper, Arthur Franklin. The Tragedy Of Lynching. Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press, 1933.
Ross, John. At The Bar Of Judge Lynch [microform]: Lynching And Lynch Mobs In America. 1983.
Shay, Frank. Judge Lynch, His First Hundred Years. New York, I. Washburn, Inc. [c1938].
Smead, Howard. Blood Justice : The Lynching Of Mack Charles Parker. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986.
Wells-Barnett, Ida B. On Lynchings: Southern Horrors, A Red Record, Mob Rule In New Orleans. New York, Arno Press, 1969.
White, Walter Francis. Rope And Faggot : A Biography Of Judge Lynch.With a new preface by Roy Wilkins. Salem, N.H: Ayer, 1992.
White, Walter Francis. The Work Of A Mob. Indianapolis, Indiana: College Division, Bobbs-Merrill Company, [19--?].
Wright, George C. Racial Violence In Kentucky, 1865-1940 : Lynchings, Mob Rule, And "Legal Lynchings." Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, 1990.
Zangrando, Robert L. The NAACP Crusade Against Lynching, 1909-1950. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1980.
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Share Cropping
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Images from the Film Version (Birth of A Nation)
Reel 1
Reel 2
Analysis of Birth of A Nation by Jeffrey B. Martin
Return to Beginning
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BIRTH OF A NATION:
Part I
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BIRTH OF A NATION:
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D.W. Griffith, The Birth of a Nation (1915)
In D.W. Griffith's masterpiece, two families -- the Stonemans from the North and the Camerons from the South -- experience the Civil War and Reconstruction. Through these families' stories, Griffith
addresses the devastation wrought by the Civil War (especially in the South) and the social disruptions caused by Reconstruction. Griffith adapted the film from a propaganda piece about the Ku Klux Klan,
The Clansman, written by Thomas Dixon. Griffith, a Southerner and the son of a Confederate War cavalry officer who returned from the war a broken man only to "suffer the disgrace of Reconstruction,"
blamed Reconstructionists and Southern blacks for his own misfortunes. This film reflects that resentment by depicting radical Republicans and "uppity" African -Americans as the cause of all social,
political, and economic problems since the Civil War.
When Griffith released the film in 1915, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (or NAACP) and other groups protested; the NAACP published a 47-page pamphlet titled
"Fighting a Vicious Film: Protest Against The Birth of a Nation," in which they referred to the film as "three miles of filth." W. E. B. Du Bois published scathing reviews in The Crisis, spurring a heated
debate among the National Board of Censorship of Motion Pictures as to whether the film should be shown in New York. However, President and former history professor Woodrow Wilson viewed the film
at the White House and proclaimed it not only historically accurate, but like "history writ with lightning." Like Woodrow Wilson, many whites felt it a truthful and accurate portrayal of racial politics, so
much so that they flocked to join the rejuvenated Ku Klux Klan. The years after Griffith released The Birth of a Nation saw massive race riots throughout the country, peaking especially in the North in
1919; many historians lay the blame for this racial conflict on Griffith's The Birth of a Nation.
The Birth of a Nation is a complex artifact of its times. Several noteworthy themes run through the film, and it especially sheds light on the construction of categories of identity -- race, class, gender, and
region -- during the early twentieth century. As you view the film, note the connections that Griffith makes.
Questions to Think About:
1) What is Griffith's perspective on the Civil War? What are examples of the pastoral idealism of Griffith's portrayal of Antebellum plantation life? Where did his ideas come from? Given what you already know about the Civil War and
Reconstruction, how does this film illustrate the dangers of using films as documents rather than artifacts?
2) How "historically accurate" is this film? What does Griffith do to indicate that it is historically accurate?
3) Why does the construction of "womanhood" play such a central role in Griffith's vision? How does this reflect early twentieth-century views about gender roles and categories? Pay attention to Griffith's depictions of women (Northern
vs. Southern, white vs. mixed-race, white vs. African-American, African-American vs. mixed-race).
4) How does Griffith portray African-Americans in the film? Pay attention to Griffith's depictions of African-Americans (note also that Griffith cast white actors and actresses to play all African-American characters who came into close
contact with white actresses to avoid "racial pollution"); can the African-American characters be categorized into "types"?
5) What are the differences between those Griffith depicts as "good blacks" and as "bad blacks"--what Griffith terms "faithful souls" and "renegades"--and what light does that shed on his construction of race and racial relations? What are
"good women" and how does he illustrate his ideals (and present foils to those ideals)? Why does Griffith uses threats of rape and depictions of sexuality to illustrate racial politics?
6) How does Griffith represent historical change in the film? Examine Griffith's contrast between antebellum and postbellum African-American behavior ("renegades" versus "faithful souls"), for example. Also notice how Griffith
contrasts Abraham Lincoln and northern patriarch, Austin Stoneman (who represents Reconstruction politician Thaddeus Stevens) and Griffith's depiction of the Ku Klux Klan as heroic.
7) How does the film reflect scientific racism and posit the perceived "dangers" of racial mixture?
8) The Birth of a Nation clearly belittles African-Americans and perpetuates many racist stereotypes. In 1915, showings of the film resulted in a resurgence of Klan membership and resultant violence against African -Americans. Today
many people, including several historians, believe that this film should not be shown in public. As historians, how do we deal with this issue responsibly? Should The Birth of a Nation ever be shown? Why? How?
Further resources for studying The Birth of a Nation:
A page on D. W. Griffith, produced by Silents Majority, a silent film study group in California (www.mdle.com/ClassicFilms/BTC/direct5.htm)
Re-examining Birth of a Nation, by Diane MacIntyre (www.mdle.com/ClassicFilms/FeaturedVideo/birth.htm)
David B. Pearson's Birth of a Nation Site (www.uno.edu/~drcom/Griffith/Birth/index.html), part of his D.W. Griffith Site (www.uno.edu/~drcom/Griffith/) at the University of New Orleans.
The Internet Movie Database's brief biography of D. W. Griffith (us.imdb.com/Name?Griffith,+D.W.)
Prepared by Professor Catherine Lavender courses in The Department of History, The College of Staten Island of The City University of New York. Send email to lavender@postbox.csi.cuny.edu
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