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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC06452.02 |
| From Archive Folder | Unassociated Civil War Documents 1864 |
| Title | John William Draper to Mrs. Maury discussing his views on black inferiority |
| Date | 2 May 1864 |
| Author | Draper, John William (1811-1882) |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Draper, a chemist and historian, discusses his views on black inferiority. "Inferior races cannot be merged in superior ones, without bringing the standard down. For such reasons I look upon all schemes for the removal of the Blacks by absorption in the whites with the severest reprehension, and not to be tolerated in civilized communities." Attests that there are anatomical differences between blacks and whites. Despite his beliefs, remarks, "But though I am thus led to look upon the Negro as of an inferior grade, I regard him as having equal rights with ourselves in the sight of God. The quality that marks him out as separate and distinct from those superior monkeys and apes to what you refer it this- he is capable of religious ideas, they are not. That is the grand test which separates the responsible and irresponsible from each other." In a post script mentions family and acquaintances, including Daniel (possibly his son). |
| Subjects | Slavery African American History Health and Medical Religion |
| People | Draper, John William (1811-1882) Maury, Virginia Draper (fl. 1864) Draper, Daniel (1841-1931) |
| Place written | Hastings, New York |
| Theme | African Americans; Religion |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Draper did research in photochemistry and was the first person to take an astrophotograph showing lunar features of the moon in 1840. He developed the proposition in 1842 that only light rays that are absorbed can produce chemical change. It came to be known as the Grotthuss-Draper law. He is the author of "The History of the Intellectual Development of Europe" (1862), "History of the American Civil War" (3 vols., 1867-1870), and "History of the Conflict between Religion and Science" (1874). Information from ancestral records suggests that Draper had a daughter, Virginia, who was married to the Reverend Mytton Maury. The Maurys and Drapers had several familial connections, and several generations of scientists belonged to both families. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |