Archive | August, 2012

Gabriel Prosser

22 Aug

Overview

Gabriel Prosser and his brother, Solomon, were preparing for the farthest reaching rebellion in United States History. Inspired by the egalitarian philosophy that inspired the Haitian Revolution, the Prossers galvanized enslaved and freed African-Americans, poor whites and Native Americans to rebel against wealthy whites. But a combination of inclement weather conditions and fear on the part of a few enslaved African-American men halted the rebellion from ever taking place.

Who is Gabriel Prosser?

Prosser was born in 1776 on a tobacco plantation in Henrico County, Va. At an early age, Prosser and his brother, Solomon, were trained to work as a blacksmiths. He was also taught to read and write. By the age of twenty, Prosser was considered a leader amongst slaves–he was literate, intelligent, strong and was over six feet tall.

In 1798, Prosser’s owner died and his son, Thomas Henry Prosser became his new master. Considered an ambitious master who wanted to expand his wealth, Thomas Henry hired Prosser and Solomon out to work with merchants and artisans. Prosser’s ability to work in Richmond and its surrounding areas allowed him the freedom to discover the area, extra money and the ability to work with freed African-American laborers.

Gabriel Prosser’s Great Plan

In 1799, Prosser, Solomon and another slave named Jupiter stole a pig. When the three were caught by an overseer, Gabriel fought him and bit off the overseer’s ear. Shortly after, he was found guilty of maiming a white man. Although this was a capital offense, Prosser was able to choose public branding over being hung if he could recite a verse from the Bible. Prosser was branded on his left hand and spent a month in jail.

This punishment, the freedom Prosser experienced as a hired-out blacksmith as well as the symbolism of the American and Haitian Revolutions that prompted the organization of the Prosser Rebellion.

Inspired primarily by the Haitian Revolution, Prosser believed that oppressed people in society should work together to change. Prosser planned to include not only enslaved and freed African-Americans, but also poor whites, Native Americans and French troops stationed in the area to participate in the rebellion. Prosser’s plan was to take possession of Capitol Square in Richmond. Holding Governor James Monroe as a hostage, Prosser believed he could bargain with authorities.

After telling Solomon and another slave named Ben of his plans, the trio began recruiting revolters. Women were not included in Prosser’s militia but free blacks and whites became dedicated to the cause of insurrection.

Pretty soon, the men were recruiting throughout Richmond, Petersburg, Norfolk, Albermarle and the counties of Henrico, Caroline and Louisa. Prosser used his skills as a blacksmith to create swords and molding bullets. Others collected weapons. The motto of the rebellion would be the same as the Haitian Revolution–”Death or Liberty.” Although rumors of the upcoming rebellion was reported to Governor Monroe, it was ignored.

Prosser planned the revolt for August 30, 1800 but could not take place because of a severe thunderstorm that made it impossible to travel across road and bridges. The plot was supposed to take place the following day on Sunday August 31 but several enslaved African-Americans told their masters of the plot. Landowners set up white patrols, and alerted Monroe who organized the state militia to search for rebels. Within two weeks, almost 30 enslaved African-Americans were in jail waiting to be seen in the Oyer and Terminir , a court in which people are tried without a jury but can provide testimony.

The Trial

The trail lasted two months and an estimated 65 enslaved men were tried. Almost thirty of these enslaved men were executed while others were sold to owners in other states. Some were found not guilty and others were pardoned.

The trials began on September 11. Officials offered full pardons to enslaved men who gave testimony against other members of the conspiracy. Ben, who had helped Solomon and Prosser organize the rebellion offered testimony. Another man named Ben Woolfolk offered the same. Ben offered testimony that led to the execution of several other enslaved men including Prosser’s brothers Solomon and Martin. Ben Woolfolk provided information on enslaved participants from other areas of Virginia.

Before Solomon’s death, he provided the following testimony:
“My brother Gabriel was the person who influenced me to join him and others in order that (as he said) we might conquer the white people and possess ourselves of their property.” Another enslaved man, King, said, “I was never so glad to hear anything in my life. I am ready to join them at any moment. I could slay the white people like sheep.”

Although most recruits were tried and convicted in Richmond, others in outlying counties received the same fate. In places like Norfolk County, however, enslaved African-Americans and working class whites were questioned in an attempt to find witnesses. However, no one would provide testimony and enslaved men in Norfolk County were released. And in Petersburg, four free African-Americans were arrested but could not be convicted because the testimony of an enslaved person against a freed person was not permitted in the courts of Virginia.

On September 14, Prosser was identified to authorities. On October 6, he was put on trail. Although several people testified against Prosser, he refused to make a statement in court. On October 10, he was hung in the town gallows.

Aftermath

According to state law, the state of Virginia had to reimburse slaveholders for their lost property. In total, Virginia paid more than $8900 to slaveholders for enslaved men who were hung.

Between 1801 and 1805, the Virgina Assembly debated on the idea of gradual emancipation of enslaved African-Americans. However, the state legislature decided instead to control enslaved African-Americans by outlawing literacy and placed restrictions on “hiring out.”

Although Prosser’s rebellion did not come to fruition, it inspired others. In 1802, the “Easter Plot” took place. And thirty years later, Nat Turner’s Rebellion took place in Southampton County.

Article source: http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/slavery/a/Gabriel-Prosser-S-Plot.htm

Frances Watkins Harper

21 Aug

Overview

Internationally renowned author and orator Frances Watkins-Harper inspired African-Americans and others to create change in society through her poetry, fiction and nonfiction writings. Considered the “most of African-American journalism,” Harper published a number of essays and news articles focused on uplifting African-Americans. Harper’s writing appeared in both African-American publications as well as white newspapers. One of her most famous quotes, “…no nation can gain its full measure of enlightenment…if one-half of it is free and the other half is fettered” encapsulates her philosophy as an educator, writer and social and political activist.

Major Accomplishments

  • 1845: Published first book of poems entitled, Forest Leaves
  • 1850: Published a second collection of poems, Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects. The collection sold more than 10,000 copies–a record for a poetry collection by a writer
  • 1857: First woman to teach at Union Seminary, which is now known as Wilberforce University
  • 1859: Editor and contributor to the first African-American literary journal–Anglo-African Magazine
  • 1883: Appointed director of the Northern United States Temperance Union
  • 1892: Published best-selling novel, Iola Leroy, Or Shadows Uplifted
  • 1896: Co-founder of the National Association of Colored Women

Born in 1825, Harper was born to free parents in Baltimore. By the age of three, both of Harper’s parents died and she was raised by her uncle William Watkins and attended the Academy for Negro Youth.
When Harper was fourteen, she began working as a domestic servant for a Quaker family. It was in this home that Harper was able to explore literature and as a result, she began publishing poetry in local newspapers. In 1845, at the age of twenty, Harper’s first collection of poetry Forest Leaves was published.

Following the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, Harper and her family migrated from Baltimore to free states. The family first settled in Ohio. Harper taught sewing at Union Seminary, which is today known as Wilberforce University. The following year, Harper moved to Philadelphia were she worked with William Still, helping enslaved African-Americans get to freedom on the Underground Railroad.

While working as an abolitionist, Harper continued to develop her craft as a writer In 1854, she published another collection of poetry, Miscellaneous Subjects. The collection sold more than 10,000 copies and was Harper’s best-selling writing. In this collection, Harper addressed the not only the oppression of African-Americans as a result of racism, but also the impact that sexism had on women.

The same year Miscellaneous Subjects was published, Harper began her career as a lecturer for the abolitionist movement. In the years leading up to the Civil War, Harper traveled and spoke to people concerning the horrors of slavery. In one of her most famous speeches,”Our Greatest Want,” Harper called African-Americans to action by arguing “Our greatest need is not gold or silver, talent or genius, but true men and true women. We have millions of our race in the prison house of slavery, but have not yet a single Moses in freedom.”

In 1860, Harper married a widower with three children. His name was Fenton Harper and he was a farmer in Ohio. Four years after their marriage, Harper’s husband died and the farm was repossessed. As a result, Harper returned to the lecturing circuit to support herself and children. Through the Civil War, Harper traveled throughout the United States–first arguing to end slavery and later, encouraging citizens to aid in educating freed African-Americans and to assist in the Reconstruction.

Following the abolition of slavery, Harper focused her mission on the rights of women. Using her oratory skills, Harper argued for women of all races to become empowered citizens. Working with women such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to help women gain the right to vote. However, Harper fully supported the Fifteenth Amendment which granted African-American men the right to vote but excluded women. Harper argued that the African-American community needed a political voice that would enable them to acquire legal and civil rights.

In addition to writing and fighting for the rights of women and African-Americans, Harper was spoke out against immorality. In 1873, Harper was appoointed Superintendent of the Colored Section of the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Women’s Christian Temperance Union. An active member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Harper taught Sunday School at
Mother Bethel AME Church.

In 1894, Harper combined her fight for women’s rights, an end to racism and uplifting people from immorality by co-founding the NACW. Harper served as the organizations vice president from 1895 to 1911.

Harper died in February of 1911, just nine years before women gained the right to vote with the Nineteenth Amendment. She is buried in Eden Cemetery with her daughter, Mary.

Article source: http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/africanamericanwomen/a/Frances-Watkins-Harper.htm

Ella Baker

20 Aug

ella baker

Public Domain

Ella Baker once said, “Every time I see a young person who identifies with the struggle of black people…I take new hope.” Throughout Baker’s career as an activist, she worked with great zeal to develop organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

A few of Baker’s accomplishments include:

  • 1943: Director of Branches for National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
  • 1956: Co-founder of the civil rights fundraising campaign, In Friendship.
  • 1958: Assisted Martin Luther King Jr. organize the SCLC.
  • 1960: Co-founder of SNCC.
  • 1964: Helped Missisippians establish the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party,

Must Reads

Martin Luther King Jr.

Article source: http://afroamhistory.about.com/b/2012/08/20/ella-baker.htm

Frances Watkins Harper: Lifelong Activist

20 Aug

fwh

Throughout Frances Watkins Harper’s adult life, she was known as the “Bronze Muse.” Harper used the power of the pen to focus on themes such as upliftment from oppression, redemption from immorality and freedom for all Americans. And her words–whether spoken to crowds of people or published in a poetry collection–empowered people.

In her lifetime, Harper wrote more than twelve books, was the first female educator at Wilberforce University, worked on the Underground Railroad, and traveled throughout the United States and Canada to speak out against racism, gender issues and temperance. Through all of her work, Harper was a taught readers and listeners the importance of civic responsibility.

Must Reads

Poetry by Frances Ellen Watkins
Lugenia Burns Hope National Association of Colored Women

Article source: http://afroamhistory.about.com/b/2012/08/20/frances-watkins-harper-lifelong-activist.htm

Four Pubs of the Harlem Renaissance

2 Aug

The Harlem Renaissance, also known as the New Negro Movement, was actually a culture development that began in 1917 and ended in 1937 with the publication of Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Over twenty years, Harlem Renaissance writers and artists explored themes such as assimilation, alienation, racism and pride through the creation of novels, essays, plays, poetry, sculpture, paintings and photography.

Yet these writers and artists would not have been able to launch their careers without having their work seen by the masses. Four notable publications–The Crisis, Opportunity, The Messenger and Marcus Garvey’s Negro World printed the work of many African-American artists and writers-helping the Harlem Renaissance become the artistic movement that made it possible for African-Americans to develop an authentic voice in American society.

The Crisis

Established in 1910 as the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), The Crisis was the preeminent social and political magazine for African-Americans. With W. E. B. Du Bois as its editor, the publication stuck by its subtitle: “A Record of the Darker Races” by devoting its pages to events such as the Great Migration. As a result, by 1919, magazine had a circulation of almost one hundred thousand copies monthly. That same year, Du Bois hired Jessie Redmon Fauset as literary editor of the publication. For the next eight years, Fauset devoted her efforts to promoting the work of up and coming African-American writers such as Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes and Nella Larsen.

Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life

As the official magazine of the National Urban League (NUL), the mission of the publication was to “lay bare Negro life as it is.” Launched in 1923, editor Charles Spurgeon Johnson began the publication by publishing research findings and essays. However, by 1925, Johnson was publishing literary works of young artists such as Zora Neale Hurston. That same year, Johnson organized a literary contest–the winners were Hurston, Hughes and Cullen. In 1927, Johnson anthologized the best pieces of writing published in the magazine. The collection was entitled Ebony and Topaz: A Collectanea and featured the work of members of the Harlem Renaissance.

The Messenger

The politically radical publication was established by A. Philip Randolph and Chandler Owen in 1917. Originally, Owen and Randolph were hired to edit a publication entitled Hotel Messenger by African-American hotel workers. However, when the two editors wrote a blaring article that exposed union officials of corruption, the paper ceased printing. Owen and Randolph quickly rebounded and established the journal The Messenger. Its agenda was socialist and its pages included a combination of news events, political commentary, book reviews, profiles of important figures and other items of interest. In response to the Red Summer of 1919, Owen and Randolph reprinted the poem “If We Must Die” written by Claude McKay. Other writers such as Roy Wilkins, E. Franklin Frazier and George Schuyler also published work in this publication. The monthly publication ceased publication in 1928.

The Negro World

Published by the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), The Negro World had a circulation of more than 200,000 readers and was published in several languages including English, Spanish and French. The newspaper was dispersed throughout the United States, African and the Caribbean. Its publisher and editor, Marcus Garvey, used the pages of the newspaper to “preserve the term Negro for the race as against the desperate desire of other newspapermen to substitute the term ‘coloured’ for the race.” Every week, Garvey provided readers with a front page editorial concerning the plight of people in the African Diaspora. Garvey’s wife, Amy, served as an editor as well and managed the “Our Women and What They Think” page in the weekly news publication. In addition, The Negro World included poetry and essays that would interest people of African descent throughout the world. Following Garvey’s deportation in 1933, The Negro World ended its weekly publication.

Article source: http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/africanamericanculture/a/Four-Publications-Of-The-Harlem-Renaissance.htm

John Baxter Taylor

1 Aug

Overview

John Baxtor Taylor was not only the first African-American to win an Olympic Gold Medal; he was also the first to represent the United States at an international sporting competition.

At 5’11 and 160 pounds, Taylor was a tall, lanky and swift runner. In his short yet prolific athletic career, Taylor earned forty-five cups and seventy medals.

Following Taylor’s untimely death just a few months later,
Harry Porter, the Acting President of the 1908 American Olympic Team wrote a letter to Taylor’s parents paying tribute to his team member. One of the highlights of Porter’s letter described Taylor as “…more as the man (than the athlete) that John Taylor made his mark. Quite unostentatious, genial, (and) kindly, the fleet-footed, far-famed athlete was beloved wherever known…As a beacon of his race, his example of achievement in athletics, scholarship and manhood will never wane, if indeed it is not destined to form with that of Booker T. Washington.”

Early Life and A Budding Track Star

Taylor was born on November 3, 1882 in Washington D.C. Sometime during Taylor’s childhood, the family relocated to Philadelphia. Attending Central High School, Taylor became a member of the school’s track team. During his senior year, Taylor served as the anchor runner for Central High School’s one mile-relay team at the Penn Relays. Although Central High School finished fifth in the championship race, Taylor was considered the best quarter-mile runner in Philadelphia. Taylor was the only African-American member of the track team.

Graduating from Central High School in 1902, Taylor attended Brown Preparatory School. Not only was Taylor a member of the track team, he became the star runner. While at Brown Prep, Taylor was considered the best prep school quarter-miler in the United States. During that year, Taylor won the Princeton Interscholastics as well as the Yale Interscholastics and anchored the school’s track team at the Penn Relays.

A year later, Taylor enrolled in the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and again, joined the track team. As a member of University of Pennsylvania’s varsity track team, Taylor won the 440-yard run at the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A) championship and broke the intercollegiate record with a time of 49 1/5 seconds.

After taking a hiatus from school, Taylor returned to the University of Pennsylvania in 1906 to study veterinary medicine and his desire to run track was reignited at well. Training under Michael Murphy, Taylor won the 440-yard race with a record of 48 4/5 seconds. The following year, Taylor was recruited by the Irish American Athletic Club and won the 440-yard race at the Amateur Athletic Union championship.

In 1908, Taylor graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

An Olympic Competitor

The 1908 Olympics were held in London. Taylor competed in the 1600-meter medley relay, running the 400-meter leg of the race and the United States’ team won the race, making Taylor the first African-American to win a gold medal.

Death

Five months after making history as the first African-American Olympic Gold medalist, Taylor died at the age of twenty-six of typhoid pneumonia. He was buried in Eden Cemetery in Philadelphia.

At Taylor’s funeral, thousands of people paid homage to the athlete and doctor. Four clergyman officiated his funeral and at least fifty carriages followed his hearse to Eden Cemetery.

Following Taylor’s death, several news publications published obituaries for the gold medalist. In the Daily Pennsylvanian, the official newspaper for the University of Pennsylvania, a reporter described Taylor as one of the popular and respected students on campus, writing, “We can pay him no higher tribute—John Baxter Taylor: Pennsylvania man, athlete and gentleman.”

The New York Times was also present at Taylor’s funeral. The news publication characterized the service as “one of the greatest tributes ever paid a colored man in this city and described Taylor as “the world’s greatest negro runner.”

Article source: http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/biographies/a/John-Baxter-Taylor-First-African-American-Gold-Medalist.htm

Jessie Redmon Fauset

1 Aug

Overview

Jessie Redmon Fauset was a key player in the Harlem Renaissance period. Like W.E.B. Du Bois and James Weldon Johnson, Fauset worked diligently to promote the work of writers during this important literary and artistic movement. Historian David Levering Lewis notes that Fauset’s work as a key player of the Harlem Renaissance was “probably unequalled” and he argues that “there is no telling what she would have done had she been a man, given her first-rate mind and formidable efficiency at any task.”

Early Life

Fauset was born in Fredericksville, NJ in 1882. Her father, Reverend Redmon Fauset was a pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal Church . When Fauset was still young her family moved to Philadelphia. Fauset attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls where she was the only African-American girl in the school. After graduating, Fauset attended Cornell University, studied classical languages and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

Teaching and Writing Career

While a student at Cornell University, Fauset met Du Bois who quickly became her mentor, helping her a teaching position at Fisk University in Tennessee for the summer. Upon graduating from Cornell, Fauset accepted a teaching position in Baltimore’s Douglass High School. In 1906, Fauset accepted a teaching position at M Street High School in Washington D.C where she taught French and Latin.

While teaching at M Street High School, Fauset became very aware of the problems associated with living in a segregated city and became involved in a local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In addition, Du Bois encouraged Fauset to begin writing for The Crisis, the official publication of the NAACP. Over the next several years, Fauset published the short story “Emmy,” essays such as “Tracing Shadows” which highlighted her observations as a traveler in Paris during the Summer of 1914, columns including “What to Read,” an annotation of texts related to issues concerning race and a poem entitled “Rondeau.”

During a teaching sabbatical in 1918, Fauset completed her master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania in Romance Languages. She also decided to make a career change–becoming a columnist for The Crisis and a year later, she assumed the role as literary editor of the publication.

Literary Editor and Novelist

As literary editor of The Crisis, Fauset became an integral player in the budding Harlem Renaissance movement. By publishing the works of writers such as Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer, Nella Larsen, Countee Cullen and Georgia Douglass, Fauset was able to promote the work of writers whose works might not have been published otherwise. Fauset used her ability to speak French fluently to expand the circulation of The Crisis internationally and penned book reviews and translated the works of African and Caribbean writers–familiarizing African-American readers with scribes throughout the African Diaspora. While editing the news publication, Fauset continued to work as a journalist–traveling throughout Europe and Africa. Most notably, Fauset documented her experiences as a reporter at the Second Pan-African Conference in Paris and the national convention of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) in 1922.

Fauset also served as the managing editor of The Brownie’s Book, a publication for children, also published by the NAACP. The mission of the publication was “designed for all children but especially for ours.” Although the publication was only in circulation for 24 issues, the magazine profiled the achievements African-American youngsters as well as juvenile literature. Poets such as Georgia Douglas Johnson and Effie Lee Newsome published in its pages. Others such as Nella Larsen launched their writing careers through Brownie’s Book.

In addition to her work as an editor, Fauset published several novels dealing with issues that upper-class African-Americans faced in society. Her first novel, There is Confusion was published in 1924. Her second novel, Plum Bun: A Novel without a Moral followed an African-American female protagonist who makes the decision to pass for white. The Chinaberry Tree: A Novel of American Life was published in 1931 and underscored the hardships of being the child of an interracial couple. Her final novel, Comedy: American Style was published in 1933–the protagonist was an African-American mother who favors her lighter off-spring.

Fauset resigned from her position as editor of The Crisis in 1927 and returned to teaching. She taught at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx until her retirement in 1944.

Death

Fauset died on April 30, 1961 in Philadelphia.

Article source: http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/biographies/a/Jessie-Redmon-Fauset-Harlem-Renaissance-Editor-And-Writer.htm

Harlem Renaissance Journals

1 Aug

The Crisis

Earlier this month, I posted a blog entitled,

The African-American Press: Lifeless or Evolving?.
In my post, I posed the question for readers to ponder: is the African-American
Press dead or can bloggers and social media networkers become the muckrakers of
the 21st Century? I argued that while African-American media outlets of today
may seem more driven to sell advertising space or merge with larger
corporations, the African-American Press is not dead–it is simply evolving. And
part of its evolution is honoring its legacy as an institution that helped
African-Americans in the South participate in the
Great Migration,
expose the horrific events of the
Red Summer of 1919
and create honorable depictions of African-Americans–an idea that

Alain Leroy Locke consistently advocated for in American society.

Paralleling the work of news organizations such as The
Chicago Defender and Pittsburgh Courier were monthly journals
published by socio-political organizations such as the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the National Urban League (NUL).
These publications and two others are featured in the article, Four Publications of the Harlem Renaissance.
These publications played an important role in developing the cultural explosion
known as the Harlem Renaissance.

I hope these articles and blog post are
inspiring you to think of how all people in American society can honor the
legacy of African-American media–it’s an integral part of United States’ past,
present, and future.

Suggested Reading

Can the Black Blogosphere Carry the Torch for the Black Press?

The Black Press is Dead. Get Over It.

Article source: http://afroamhistory.about.com/b/2012/07/31/harlem-renaissance-journals.htm

Jessie Redmon Fauset: Literary Editor of The Crisis

1 Aug

Known as the “Midwife of the Harlem Renaissance,” Jessie Redmon Fauset was an important member of the literary and artistic movement. For seven years, Fauset helped promote the work of writers such as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, Georgia Douglass Johnson and Zora Neale Hurston through her editorial positions at The Crisis and The Brownie’s Books, both published through the NAACP.

Her ability to speak french fluently allowed Fauset to translate texts of African and Caribbean writers as well–offering these men and women the opportunity to have their voices heard in America. In addition, these translations offered African-American readers insight to the issues present in the lives of others in the African Diaspora.

Throughout her career as an editor, writer and educator, Fauset worked to improve the opportunities for African-Americans to express themselves through the arts.

Suggested Reading

Literary Timeline of the Harlem Renaissance

Article source: http://afroamhistory.about.com/b/2012/07/31/jessie-redmon-fauset-literary-editor-of-the-crisis.htm

John Baxter Taylor: First Olympic Gold Medalist

1 Aug

John Baxter Taylor

In 1908John Baxter Taylor made history. Participating in the 1908 Olympics, held in London, Taylor became the first African-American to represent the United States at an international sporting event.

Days later, after competing in the 1600 meter medley relay race, Taylor became the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal.

Sadly, Taylor’s victory was short-lived. A mere four months after returning home with a gold medal, he died of typhoid pneumonia. One of Taylor’s teammates wrote a letter to Taylor’s parents, characterizing the athlete as “…more as the man (than the athlete) that John Taylor made his mark. Quite unostentatious, genial, (and) kindly, the fleet-footed, far-famed athlete was beloved wherever known…As a beacon of his race, his example of achievement in athletics, scholarship and manhood will never wane, if indeed it is not destined to form with that of Booker T. Washington.”

Article source: http://afroamhistory.about.com/b/2012/07/31/john-baxter-taylor-first-olympic-gold-medalist.htm

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