John Edward Bruce: Politician, Journalist, and Self-Trained Historian of the African Diaspora

254 Pages·2004·0.71 MB·English

by  Ralph Crowder

JOHN EDWARD BRUCE

RALPH L. CROWDER
JOHN EDWARD BRUCE
Politician, Journalist, and

Self-trained Historian of the African Diaspora

a

New York University Press • New York and London
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London

www.nyupress.org

© 2004 by New York University

All rights reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Crowder, Ralph L.

John Edward Bruce : politician, journalist, and

self-trained historian of the African diaspora / Ralph L. Crowder.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0–8147–1518–4 (alk. paper)

1. Bruce, John Edward. 2. African American political activists—

Biography. 3. African American journalists—Biography.

4. African American historians—Biography. 5. African

Americans—Historiography. 6. African diaspora.

7. Pan-Africanism. 8. African Americans—Intellectual life.

9. African Americans—Politics and government. I. Title.

E185.97.B895C76 2004

973'.0496073'0092—dc22 2003020499

New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,
and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To the memory of Allie Louise Crowder Gaines (1919–1993).
Mother, Friend, Mentor, and Constant Supporter.
With my deepest appreciation
for your unqualified love and guidance.

Contents
Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: Appreciating Neglected Voices—

John Edward Bruce and the Struggle to Liberate the Race 1

1 From Slavery to Freedom:

John Edward Bruce’s Childhood and Adolescence 5

2 Blyden, Crummell, and Bruce: Mentors, Patrons, and

the Evolution of a Pan-African Intellectual Network 25

3 Race, Politics, and Patronage:

John Edward Bruce and the Republican Party 49

4 Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and

John Edward Bruce’s Career as a Journalistic Hired Gun 75

5 The Popularization of African American History:

John Edward Bruce as Historian, Bibliophile,

and Black History Advocate 91

6 “Grand Old Man of the Movement”:

John Edward Bruce, Marcus Garvey, and the UNIA 135

Conclusion: The Making of a Race Man:

The Meaning and Significance of John Edward Bruce’s Life 159

Notes 165

Selected Bibliography 219

Index 229

About the Author 243

Illustrations appear together as an insert following page 54.

vii

Acknowledgments
The life of John Edward Bruce is representative of several neglected
but important Black activists who have been overlooked by historians
of the African American experience. A thriving community of Black
intellectual activity has existed outside of formal academic circles
throughout the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. I would like to
thank a group of winos that lived behind my stepfather’s drug store
during the 1950s. They shared their personal stories and a history of
my community that excited my imagination and interest before I real-
ized I wanted to pursue a career as a professional historian.
It is difficult to find the space to thank so many people who en-
couraged the writing and research of this project. My mother, the late
Mrs. Allie L. Gaines, has always been the backbone of my support
throughout my academic and professional career. I also appreciate the
assistance, encouragement, and insightful reading of Jennifer Ham-
mer, my editor at New York University Press. From the beginning of
this process, Bill Tuttle has been a great intellectual critic, a profes-
sional mentor, motivator, and loyal friend. I will always appreciate his
confidence in my ability and the strategic support that he has given
me.
During several trips to the Schomburg Center for Research in
Black Culture, the New York Public Library, the manuscript staff was
very helpful in my search for Bruce materials. The late John Henrik
Clarke also offered his insights on the life of self-trained historians
and his relationship with Arthur Schomburg, Bruce’s dear friend and
colleague. I am also indebted to Mrs. Agnes Conway, Bruce’s grand-
daughter, who allowed me to copy the bulk of the Bruce Collection for
my research and personal use.
I greatly appreciate the timely assistance and typing duties of Jam-
ica Keith, Krystal Gordon, and Gloria Gutierrez. They all worked very
hard on retyping different sections of the final manuscript. During the
ix