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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC06122 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents Relating to the 1910s |
| Title | The race problem, as it respects colored people and the Christian Church, in the light of the developments of the last year. |
| Date | 27 December 1919 |
| Author | Grimké, Francis J. (Francis James) (1850-1937) |
| Additional authors | Neall, C. G. (fl. ca. 1919) |
| Document Type | Pamphlet |
| Content Description | Signed on title page by C.G. Neall. Reverend Grimke, the son of a wealthy white planter and a slave, delivers a discourse at a Thanksgiving service held at the Plymouth Congregational Church in an unspecified city. Examines the unrest following World War I. Discusses African Americans' lack of civil rights, stating "we are here also, not only as American citizens, but as colored American citizens- as citizens, and yet not citizens- citizens with rights guaranteed to us in the Constitution, but with those rights but very imperfectly recognized" (p. 3). Argues that African Americans should recognize the "evidences of a growing sense, within the race, that it has rights under the Constitution, and of the value and importance of those rights in a republic like this. There was a time when there was a disposition even on the part of some of our leaders to pooh-pooh the idea of our rights; that, it was said, if we concerned ourselves about our duties, our rights would take care of themselves; that when we were worthy of them, they would come to us unsolicited. Thank God that time has passed. Nobody now with a particle of sense or self-respect talks such nonsense" (p. 3). Emphasizes the importance of self-respect: "A man who doesn't respect himself can hardly expect others to respect him" (p. 4). Declares "whatever may be said about patiently waiting for our oppressors of their own volition to give us our rights, the simple fact is, a fact confirmed by all experience, as long as we ourselves are [...] inactive in securing our rights [...] we will never get them" (p. 6). Explores the interaction between race issues and religion. |
| Subjects | Segregation Progressive Era Christianity Religion African American Author African American History Thanksgiving Jim Crow World War I Civil Rights US Constitution Bill of Rights |
| People | Grimké, Francis J. (Francis James) (1850-1937) Neall, C. G. (fl. ca. 1919) |
| Place written | s.l. |
| Theme | African Americans; Government & Politics; Religion |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1860-1945 |
| Additional Information | Grimke served as pastor of the Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church of Washington, D.C. for many years. In 1897, he assisted in founding the American Negro Academy, a men's organization devoted to the promotion of liberal arts scholarship among the African American community. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |