On June 20th, 1958, Charles Chesnutt was born to Andrew Chesnutt and Ann Marie Chesnutt, both free persons of color in Cleveland Ohio. Chesnutt, whose outward appearance would suggest that he is a white man, was in fact only 7/8 white, according to his own description. Despite his outward appearance, Chesnutt, much like his characters in The House Behind the Cedars, was subject to the "one drop rule" which stated that one drop of African-American blood was enough to classify someone as black. Though Chesnutt could have kept his African-American heritage to himself and passed as white almost everywhere he went, he identified with his African-American background and used his heritage to help promote and advocate for African-American rights and equality.
Chesnutt and his family moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina postbellum in order to open up a grocery store. Though the grocery store failed due to a slumping economy in Reconstruction America, Chesnutt was able to attain an education at Howard, an all black college established by the Freedman's Bureau after the Civil War. In 1883, Chesnutt left Fayetteville to return to Cleveland, where he would pass the bar exam in 1887 and open and maintain a successful stenography business. He continued to live and thrive in Cleveland until his death in 1932.
Chesnutt's views on race relations were very well defined. Chesnutt believed and advocated for full equality for all citizens of the United States. He promoted this idea in a speech he made in 1905:
"Looking down the vista of time I see an epoch in our nation's history, not in my time or yours, but in the not distant future, when there shall be in the United States but one people, moulded by the same culture, swayed by the same patriotic ideals, holding their citizenship in such high esteem that for another to share it is of itself to entitle him to fraternal regard; when men will be esteemed and honored for their character and talents. When hand in hand and heart with heart all the people of this nation will join to preserve to all and to each of them for all future time that ideal of human liberty which the fathers of the republic set out in the Declaration of Independence, which declared that 'all men are created equal', the ideal for which [William Lloyd] Garrison and [Wendell] Phillips and [Sen. Charles] Sumner lived and worked; the ideal for which [Abraham] Lincoln died, the ideal embodied in the words of the Book [Bible] which the slave mother learned by stealth to read, with slow-moving finger and faltering speech, and which I fear that some of us have forgotten to read at all-the Book which declares that "God is no respecter of persons, and that of one blood hath he made all the nations of the earth."
Albion Tourgee, who was born outside of Cleveland, Ohio, was not only one of the first and only pure whites advocating for the equality of people of all races and colors, but was the attorney who defended Plessy in Plessy v. Ferguson. Though Tourgee lost, and America subsequently adopted a separate but equal policy, he refused to relinquish his aspirations for equality in America. Tourgee was a pioneer of sorts, as he was the first person to advocate for "color-blind justice" and the notion of "whiteness as a privilege." The notion that whiteness should be seen as a privilege, since a white man in his time was intrinsically more successful than his minority counterparts, and therefore those minorities should be granted compensation to help them attain the same level as their white counterparts.
Tourgee moved to Mayville, New York in 1881, where he settled down and write many novels about his ideal of race equality, his most notable being Button's Inn. Tourgee and Chesnutt were both very important to race relations in the late 19th century because of their outspoken view of how minorities were treated in their times, as well as both of their antipathy for the "one drop rule." Had Tourgee been successful in defending Plessy in 1896, perhaps Chesnutt would never have had to write The House Behind the Cedars. In response to the decision by the supreme court in Plessy v. Ferguson, where the supreme court decided that separate facilities for black men and women was not derogatory to their race, Chesnutt responded, "I presume that hanging might be pleasant if a man could only convince himself that it would not be painful, nor disgraceful, nor terminate his earthly career."
Though Chesnutt and Tourgee would never meet, their lives and beliefs were wonderfully intertwined and amalgamated for the benefit of the minorities of America in the late 19th century. Chesnutt was never fully lionized for his literary work during his life, however in contemporary times, he has been recognized for his work in race relations by the U.S. Government and was rewarded with his face on a U.S. Stamp in 2008. He went on to be a founding member of the NAACP in 1910, and his works have helped a modern America better understand the struggles of minorities in postbellum America, whether full blooded African-American or six generations removed.
I like how you compared the ideals of Charles Chesnutt and Tourgee because they both did have the same viewpoint on race relations during this time period. I think it is so interesting how Chesnutt could have passed for a white man, but chose to acknowledge his African American identity, despite the hardships he knew he would have to endure to become a successful writer. They both advocated for equality in different ways, Chesnutt with his writing and Tourgee with the judicial system.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was very interesting that you included Tourgee. I'm sure many people did not know about him including myself. Even though the two did not meet they shared many similar ideas and thoughts. I also can see the similarities with Chesnutt's novel "The House Behind The Ceaders" with his own background in the way that they can pass as white men.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome post! I'm completely intrigued on how these two men run such parallel lives to each other, however they've never met! You've given me insight into their lives through facts and background..such an interesting post! I haven't heard of Tourgee previous to this posting, but it's making me want to look up more information. It's unfortunate they never got the chance to meet..the presence of both men in the same room would've been powerful!
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ReplyDeleteI thought it was great that you found a local connection to Chesnutt. I'm from Chautauqua County and had heard of the Button's Inn before, but I had no idea Tourgee turned it into his most notable piece! I found it interesting that Chesnutt and Tourgee never met, but still shared such profound ideals about racial situations.
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