Check This Out: An Archivist's Blog

Check out this item from 1934 - with an update from a West Point grad. Fascinating when you find out the archivist for the township you grew up in is a blogger. From a posted national news item -- Oscar De Priest (Republican) Illinois, the lone "Negro" member of the House was upset as Democrats wouldn't allow him to eat in the House restaurant. But he was already falling out of favor at home in Chicago ... for opposing taxes on the rich. Somehow I doubt he would have thought much about Obama, or his church. heh!

Civil rights activists criticized De Priest for opposing federal aid to the needy, but they applauded him for speaking in the South despite death threats. They also praised De Priest for telling an Alabama senator he was not big enough to prevent him from dining in the Senate restaurant, and for defending the right of Howard University students to eat in the House restaurant. De Priest took the House restaurant issue to a special bipartisan House committee. In a three month-long heated debate, the Republican minority argued that the restaurant's discriminatory practice violated 14th Amendment rights to equal access.

The Democratic majority skirted the issue by claiming that the restaurant was not open to the public, and the House restaurant remained segregated.In 1929, DePriest made national news when first lady Lou Hoover, at DePriest's urging, invited his wife, Jessie Williams DePriest, to a tea at the White House.

By the early 1930s, DePriest's popularity waned as the economy plummeted because he continued to oppose taxes on the rich and fought Depression era federal relief programs. De Priest was defeated in 1934 by Democrat Arthur W. Mitchell, who was also an African American.

I grew up in what's considered "the bad part of town" - encompassed by this aerial image from the thirties. The home I grew up in was just being built to house more factory workers. My Grade and Elementary schools are pictured, one is now torn down. Lots of interesting items to check out.

I am the archivist at the Hamilton Township Public Library and if the good Lord wills it, I will be logging local history when I reach 100 in 25 years. I WILL be 75 in September, 2008.

Comments

[jharp]

I was always aware the Democrats were the party of racism. The old dixiecrats of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi.

Key word is were. They are now right wing republicans.

My opinion is it goes back to the Civil Rights Act of 64.

[Aye Chihuahua]

"Key word is were. They are now right wing republicans."

Snicker.

I never would have guessed that Rev. Wright is a right wing Republican.

Don Imus either.

Maybe Sharpton or the Rev. Jackson? Nope, not Republicans.

Of course, Obama now, he might just be..... no, he's not Republican either.

Another one of your theories shot to hell.

Sorry 'bout that.

[seekeronos]

Imus claims to be a "moderate McCain Republican".

But for what that is worth, he might as well be a Democrat, at least half the time. :)

As for the Repubs = Racist meme, I'm not willing to buy it. We generally hold that a man (or woman) is able to work hard to raise themselves above their circumstances if they apply themselves to it, with some friendly help and a good turn in kind as needed.

The Democratic message to blacks in particular and minorities in general seems to be "Get used to being stuck where you are at, and be thankful that you only have to do the bare minimum to skate by on our governmental largess".

[wjo]

The meme that the Republican party is the substitute for the Dixiecrat party holds great sway over the ignorant minds of the Democrats. The simple truth is that there are more people from different parts of the country and new immigrants living in the South now than ever before. Yet, the South is now solidly Republican.

It is values and not racism that explain this. There's a reason people here are more religious, less inclined to believe government is the solution for everything and opposed to increased taxation---didn't like it in the Rustbelt and Northeast and voted with their feet. Don't want the dang fool policies that failed up North and want to live in a place where there are great economic opportunities and its okay to pray for blessing before a public meeting.

[CINDI]

We generally hold that a man (or woman) is able to work hard to raise themselves above their circumstances if they apply themselves to it, with some friendly help and a good turn in kind as needed.
Posted by: seekeronos | Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 10:50 PM

well put.

didn't like it in the Rustbelt and Northeast and voted with their feet. Don't want the dang fool policies that failed up North and want to live in a place where there are great economic opportunities and its okay to pray for blessing before a public meeting.

Posted by: wjo | Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 11:36 PM

who again won the war?

[seekeronos]

Side note on the aerial photo Mr. Glover showed of his hometown area - it shows signs of being fairly well designed (city planning) for its time - wide roads, plenty of green spaces.

And not too mention many/most of the original homes appear to be still standing and in fairly good condition from several hundred feet up, either. Mind you, a bit of a tighter squeeze with more people being born between then and now, but not too hard on the eagle's eyes either.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Dickinson+Ave,+Trenton,+Mercer,+New+Jersey+08629,+United+States&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.259599,59.765625&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=0,40.228800,-74.723610&ll=40.229251,-74.723618&spn=0.00806,0.014591&t=h&z=16

[WAHOO WILLIE]

"who again won the war?"

No one...America lost and lost too much.

"The Democrat message to blacks in particular and minorities in general"

Is that you're too weak, ignorant and ill-equipped to succeed without government intervention. Yes, the government began educating you in the 1860s and 90 years later moved you from "seperate but equal" to the same schools the "white" kids went to. When we learned that you could not pass standardized tests because you do not know what a saucer is. We took the question off the test, much easier than teaching you about cups and saucers. Why we even tried to teach the other students using your ebonics but the evil right kept us from it. Today, after fifty years of lowering standards to "help" you succeed, you still have a 64% drop-out rate and need 20 extra points on entrance exams to get into UofM law school despite our forcing schools to accept a quota of "minority" students. Please, just trust us, soon we will take from the rich and give even more to you.

[wjo]

"who again won the war?"

The North won the war. The South was devastated economically by that war.
It was not until the South moved away from shameful white supremacy and Jim Crow that she has become economically potent. If you doubt it, look at the rise of Texas, Atlanta and the Research Triangle in North Carolina.

To quote the great American poet Merle Haggard: "We like living right and being free."

[WAHOO WILLIE]

"The North won the war. The South was devastated economically by that war."

Thanks for the history lesson there wj, having lived in the south for most of the last half century + I had no idea. Actually, the "south" was defeated by the "north" but nobody "won" when almost 3/4 million people died, untold thousands were ruined physically, emotionally, financially. Yes, slavery was ended in Dec 1865 but at what cost? Had diplomacy been given a better chance those freed people would have been given a better start, better education and easier assimilation.As by the way had been done in the northern states. Would Jim Crow have existed had poor whites not felt the few jobs available were being taken by freedmen? Had there been no resentment over "reconstruction and the Radical Republicans? How many scientists, doctors, writers, educators were lost, wasted? How many freedoms were lost with the creation of more centralized government?

[wjo]

WAHOO:

The history lesson was for CINDI.

As for the what if, I don't buy the diplomacy business. They were called fireeaters for a reason.

[WAHOO WILLIE]

wjo: Sorry, your post was below mine, thought it was for me but you know what ass-u-me leads to.
I posited diplomacy because I dont think Lincoln gave it much of a chance. In fairness, this secession business was snowballing before Lincoln had a chance to do much and in that age he'd better appear strong and determined. (Not much has changed and I guess there are some fair comparisons) He thought a show of strong force would end the "rebellion" quickly but boy did he underestimate human nature. Maybe in those days diplomacy would have been as disasterous as the war was, but I would like to think it may have worked\.

[templar knight]

Think about this, Willie. Lincoln was elected with what, around 36% of the vote. I doubt many Southerners thought him to be negociating from a position of power. However, the idiots in So. Carolina played right into his hands, and made it easy for him by attacking Ft. Sumter and uniting the North. Very stupid, and costly.

[WAHOO WILLIE]

tk: Not much to really think about as we're in agreement. The "border states" Va, NC, Md,De, Ky and Tn were on the fence about secession with NC, Ky and Md being pro-Union. The "Confederacy" would not have lasted near as long as it did without NC and Va but once the call for troops and the blockade came there were only two ways to the seven states that had seceeded, across them or through their ports. A wiser Lincoln would have enlisted their help, no one was killed at Sumter (not by rebel fire) and humiliation heals very quickly. I believe a compromise could have been reached but we'll never know.

[templar knight]

"I believe a compromise could have been reached.."

So do I, but many idiots in the South were spoiling for a fight, and were complicit in ruining their region for 100 years. It would be interesting to see how everything would have turned out had there been compromise and no war. You should write a book on that, Willie.

[WAHOO WILLIE]

"You should write a book on that, Willie.'

LOL, you've lost it. Someone wrote a "What if" the south won book. It would make a good story though.

[seekeronos]

"--- Think about this, Willie. Lincoln was elected with what, around 36% of the vote. I doubt many Southerners thought him to be negociating from a position of power. However, the idiots in So. Carolina played right into his hands, and made it easy for him by attacking Ft. Sumter and uniting the North. Very stupid, and costly. ---"

I've always wondered if there could have been a way for the Confederacy to have emerged without having fired a shot (in offense: I likely suspect that had Ft. Sumter never happened, the shooting war would have only been delayed).

Trying to stall with holding actions - a defensive fight if needed, might have garnered greater sympathy from Great Britain and/or France to break the blockade, or perhaps even (GB) sting the Union back for 1812.

Yes, I've been reading too much Turtledove. :/

[templar knight]

Yeah, Willie, I do remember that book. It was called, "The Guns of the South", and it had the premise of the South receiving AK-47's from people in the future. I think the people who provided the guns were from So. Africa. It sounded pretty silly to me. Anyhow, I didn't read it, one of many I've missed over the years.