Chase, Thomas N. (fl. 1872) to Charles Sumner with Sumner's autograph endorsement signed
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC07202.02 Author/Creator: Chase, Thomas N. (fl. 1872) Place Written: Atlanta, Georgia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 14 December 1872 Pagination: 4 p. ; 20.3 x 24.7 cm. Order a Copy
Chase, a professor at Atlanta University, updates Sumner on the condition of African Americans in Georgia. States that "[t]he opposition to the elevation of the colored people is becoming more & more intense. 'I don't want a nigger to know more than I do' is the general sentiment." Reports that in Georgia, African Americans are excluded from the benefit of agricultural scrip. States that Joseph Emerson Brown, Chairman of the Atlanta Board of Education, does not support African American schools as much as he supports white schools. He indicates that black students only get female teachers, whereas white students get some male teachers as well. Complains about insufficient travel accommodations for African American students, stating "[w]hen our pupils returned to their homes last summer, they were obliged to ride in a low filthy uncomfortable car put close to the engine before the baggage car"; he also mentions that the young African American ladies of breeding should not be subjected to the smoky train car they were obliged to ride in. Offers to send a school catalog to Sumner, and requests Sumner's advice. Endorsed by Sumner: "There is but one answer - my Civil Rights Bill. C.S".
Brown served as Governor of Georgia 1855-1865 and as United States Senator 1879-1890. Prior to the Civil War, he was a Democrat who favored secession, though he became very critical of Jefferson Davis during Davis's tenure as President of the Confederate States of America. Upon his election to the Senate, Brown officially supported public education for all children in Georgia. Sumner, an abolitionist, served as United States Senator from Massachusetts 1851-1874. Chase was author of "Social & Physical Conditions among Negroes in Cities," published by Atlanta University in 1897 and edited by W. E. B. DuBois. Chase was a teacher at Atlanta University.
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