Due to the tireless work of two men who were often at odds with each other, several states, the federal government and numerous organizations came together to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. These two men, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois worked tirelessly to gain the support of Republican president William Howard Taft and Congress, including some members of Congress who still supported the Jim Crow policies of the South. In Taft's first State of the Union Address, he asked Congress to appropriate funds to establish a planning commission for an Emancipation proclamation in 1909. A review of the history, leaves no doubt in my mind that Taft was acting in response to the actions of these two men.
Taft asked Congress for assistance so that the event could be properly celebrated. He stated that some prominent black men had already started a movement and Taft wanted Congress to give his administration the authority to appoint a planning commission for an exposition. The commissioners would all serve as volunteers, but an appropriation was needed to pay for their actual expenses. President Taft endorsed an exposition that would "show the progress the Negroes have made, not only during their period of freedom, but also from the time of their coming to this country." As I will explain, his words express both the more conservative actions of Booker T. Washington and the emerging progressive demands of W.E.B. Du Bois. First, here are the words that President William Howard Taft wrote to Congress in his first State of the Union Address.
"The year 1913 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation granting freedom to the negroes. It seems fitting that this event should be properly celebrated. Already a movement has been started by prominent Negroes, encouraged by prominent white people and the press. The South especially is manifesting its interest in this movement.
It is suggested that a proper form of celebration would be an exposition to show the progress the Negroes have made, not only during their period of freedom, but also from the time of their coming to this country.
I heartily indorse this proposal, and request that the Executive be authorized to appoint a preliminary commission of not more than seven persons to consider carefully whether or not it is wise to hold such an exposition, and if so, to outline a plan for the enterprise. I further recommend that such preliminary commission serve without salary, except as to their actual expenses, and that an appropriation be made to meet such expenses."
Taft did not mention the prominent men by name, but there is little doubt that Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois were first and foremost in his mind. Booker T. Washington was an established educator, author, orator and founder of the National Negro Business League. He served as an adviser to presidents and was the dominant leader of the African-American community from 1890 to 1915. Du Bois was an emerging forceful black scholar, writer and founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Du Bois wanted to break away from the white-accommodationist policies supported by Booker T. Washington and advocated black power and black assertiveness. Dubois put significant pressure on Taft to do something about the waves of violence that was sweeping the south in the early 1900s. From 1900 to 1914 white mobs lynched more than 1,000 blacks.
Whether or not, Taft was genuinely interested in celebrating the jubilee of African Americans, getting on board with the exposition of their progress seemed a safe bet. A few members of the legislative branch opposed the appreciation of money for the commission, but even those who wanted to preserve the Jim Crow social and political structure were willing to support a commemoration on emancipation. For example, Southern Senator Frank White of Alabama, supported it as a way of honoring the loyalty of former slaves. White said Southern blacks deserved our gratitude because they 'camped with us...marched with us... supplied our every want...guarded our homes and protected our women and children ...', and 'carried their dead masters back to their wives' (Temperley) To Du Bois, words like this from Senator White illustrated the shallow reforms that had become the ways of the neo-abolitionists and those in the black middle-class intellectual and social circles. Du Bois saw this as an impediment to true black progress and debate and the fiftieth anniversary was bringing the idea of true black progress to a crescendo. Du Bois was being joined by white progressives like Oswald Garrison Villard, the grandson of William Lloyd Garrison who pointed to the rise in property ownership as 'an astounding showing which by itself gives the lie to those who declare that the negro cannot be compared in efficiency with the white man' (Temperley).
Despite the competing forces, several states and the federal government funded celebrations and expositions for the fiftieth anniversary in 1913. While, Do Bois was publishing progressive articles in his magazine the Crisis, Booker T. Washington was laboring quietly and publicly to gain Congressional approval for the emancipation exhibitions. Both of these men deserve an immense helping of accolades for the work in gaining funding support and organizing the emancipating celebrations, but by far the most elaborate exposition was the National Emancipation Exposition in New York City. Du Bois organized this exposition to give a 'complete picture of Negro progress and attainment in America' (Temperley). The December 2013 edition of The Crisis, included this description of the Exposition.
"The New York emancipation exposition which took place in New York during the last ten days in October was perhaps the largest single celebration which colored people have had in the North. The total attendance was over 30,000; the order was perfect; not a single arrest was made and there were no serious accidents.
But the exposition was not simply an assembling of crowds. It was an organized, logical affair. There were comparatively few exhibits, but each exhibit was in its place and meant something, and when combined with photographs and charts told a continuous and complete story of fifty years unusual progress among colored Americans. To this was added a series of entertainments. But greatest of all was the historical pageant. It became, as it was designed to be, a great popular festival with 350 actors living their parts. Its imagery and beauty have been seldom surpassed, and Mr. Charles Burroughs and his helpers deserve all praise in their signal success.
When one remembers under what extraordinary difficulties the nine commissioners organized this exposition, and what a fire of indefensible criticism they underwent, the exposition must go down in history not simply as the greatest of the attempts to celebrate the jubilee of freedom up to this time, but also as a singularly successful effort in honest administration and widespread co-operation."
Taft’s words in 1909 reflected both the tireless work by Booker T. Washington to recognize the history of black Americans and the Scientific approach of W.E.B. Du Bois to illustrate the progress of blacks and their equality to all other races. Du Bois often criticized Taft for not doing enough to end the lynching, but here they worked together to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.
References
Presidency.ucsb.edu. (2019). First Annual Message | The American Presidency Project. [online] Available at: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/first-annual-message-17 [Accessed 10 May 2019].
Temperley, H. (2013). After Slavery. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
Marxists.org. (2019). The Crisis, December 1913. [online] Available at: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/civil-rights/crisis/1200-crisis-v07n02-w038.pdf [Accessed 10 May 2019].
Miller Center. (2019). William Taft: The American Franchise | Miller Center. [online] Available at: https://millercenter.org/president/taft/the-american-franchise [Accessed 10 May 2019].
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