Nicodemus

Post-Reconstruction Politics and Racial Justice in Western Kansas

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies, History, Americas, United States, 19th Century
Cover of the book Nicodemus by Charlotte Hinger, University of Oklahoma Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Charlotte Hinger ISBN: 9780806154718
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press Publication: May 10, 2016
Imprint: University of Oklahoma Press Language: English
Author: Charlotte Hinger
ISBN: 9780806154718
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
Publication: May 10, 2016
Imprint: University of Oklahoma Press
Language: English

Pushed out of the South as Reconstruction ended and as white landowners, employers, and “Redeemer” governments sought to reestablish the constraints of slavery, thousands of African Americans migrated west in search of better opportunities. As the first well-known all-black community on the plains, Nicodemus, Kansas, became a national exemplar of black self-improvement. But Nicodemus also embodied many of the problems facing African Americans during this time. Diverging philosophies within the community, Charlotte Hinger argues, foretold the differences that continue to divide black politicians and intellectuals today.

At the time Nicodemus was founded, politicians underestimated the power of African American voters. But three of the town’s black homesteaders—Abram Thompson Hall, Jr., Edward Preston McCabe, and John W. Niles—exerted extraordinary influence over county, state, and national politics. Hinger examines their divergent strategies for leading their community and for relating to white people, which reflected emerging black worldviews across the United States as African Americans grappled with the responsibilities accompanying their new freedom. Hall supported racial uplift, McCabe insisted on achieving equality through politics and legislation, and Niles advocated reparations for slavery. Hall and McCabe, both northerners, had distinguished educations, while Niles, a former slave, was a gifted orator. Their differing approaches to creating a new civilization on the prairie, seeking justice for blacks, and improving the situation of Nicodemus citizens roiled Kansas politics, already in turmoil over temperance and woman’s suffrage.

Nicodemus was a microcosm of all the issues facing black Americans in the late nineteenth century, and Hall, McCabe, and Niles are archetypes for powerful philosophies that have persisted into the twenty-first century. This study of their ideas and the ways they shaped Nicodemus offers a novel perspective on the most famous post–Civil War African American community in the West.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Pushed out of the South as Reconstruction ended and as white landowners, employers, and “Redeemer” governments sought to reestablish the constraints of slavery, thousands of African Americans migrated west in search of better opportunities. As the first well-known all-black community on the plains, Nicodemus, Kansas, became a national exemplar of black self-improvement. But Nicodemus also embodied many of the problems facing African Americans during this time. Diverging philosophies within the community, Charlotte Hinger argues, foretold the differences that continue to divide black politicians and intellectuals today.

At the time Nicodemus was founded, politicians underestimated the power of African American voters. But three of the town’s black homesteaders—Abram Thompson Hall, Jr., Edward Preston McCabe, and John W. Niles—exerted extraordinary influence over county, state, and national politics. Hinger examines their divergent strategies for leading their community and for relating to white people, which reflected emerging black worldviews across the United States as African Americans grappled with the responsibilities accompanying their new freedom. Hall supported racial uplift, McCabe insisted on achieving equality through politics and legislation, and Niles advocated reparations for slavery. Hall and McCabe, both northerners, had distinguished educations, while Niles, a former slave, was a gifted orator. Their differing approaches to creating a new civilization on the prairie, seeking justice for blacks, and improving the situation of Nicodemus citizens roiled Kansas politics, already in turmoil over temperance and woman’s suffrage.

Nicodemus was a microcosm of all the issues facing black Americans in the late nineteenth century, and Hall, McCabe, and Niles are archetypes for powerful philosophies that have persisted into the twenty-first century. This study of their ideas and the ways they shaped Nicodemus offers a novel perspective on the most famous post–Civil War African American community in the West.

More books from University of Oklahoma Press

Cover of the book Whose Names Are Unknown: A Novel by Charlotte Hinger
Cover of the book Edward Eberstadt & Sons by Charlotte Hinger
Cover of the book Chenoo by Charlotte Hinger
Cover of the book Phil Sheridan and His Army by Charlotte Hinger
Cover of the book Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca by Charlotte Hinger
Cover of the book Hitler's Ostkrieg and the Indian Wars by Charlotte Hinger
Cover of the book Chiefs and Challengers by Charlotte Hinger
Cover of the book Verne Sankey by Charlotte Hinger
Cover of the book A Politician Thinking by Charlotte Hinger
Cover of the book With Zeal and With Bayonets Only: The British Army on Campaign in North America, 1775–1783 by Charlotte Hinger
Cover of the book Arredondo by Charlotte Hinger
Cover of the book Congress vs. the Bureaucracy by Charlotte Hinger
Cover of the book Doña Teresa Confronts the Spanish Inquisition by Charlotte Hinger
Cover of the book Life in a Corner by Charlotte Hinger
Cover of the book Woody Guthrie's Modern World Blues by Charlotte Hinger
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy