HISTORY OF
The Black Man
An Authentic Collection of Historical Infor¬
mation on the Early Civilization of
the Descendants of Ham,
the Son of Noah.
THIRD EDITION
COMPILED BY
REV. J. J. JACKSON, D. D.
BELLEFONTAINE, OHIO.
COPYRIGHTED 1921
REV. J. J. JACKSON, D. D.
HISTORY OF
THE BLACK MAN
An Authentic Collection of Historical Infor¬
mation on the Early Civilization of
the Descendants of Ham,
the Son of Noah.
History of the Black Kingdoms of Ghana,
Melle, Songkay and Hansas, and
the Early American Negro.
THIRD EDITION
COMPILED BY
REV. J. J. JACKSON, D. D.
BELLEFONTAINE, OHIO.
COPYRIGHTED 1921
INTRODUCTORY
It is very essential that every race should possess a
correct knowledge of its own past history.
The masses of the American negro have been de¬
prived of the opportunity of obtaining an adequate know¬
ledge of the past history of the black man. The average
historian has not considered the ancient history of the
black man of sufficient importance to claim his attention.
Even Mr. Myers would have the students of his general
history believe that the black man has always been a hew¬
er of wood and a drawer of water. A large majority of
the men of letters of our own people who are very profi¬
cient in ancient, medieval and modern history of Greece,
Rome, and even China, Japan, and other European and
Asiatic countries, know very little of the history of their
own people.
A lack of historical knowledge of ourselves has been
the means of lessening of our race pride. A better know¬
ledge of the contribution of the black man to civilization
will cause us to have a better opinion of ourselves. At
considerable expense and with much labor and research,
the writer has succeeded in collecting what he considers
a great deal of valuable information, which he has
placed in this little book and given to the public at a cost
within the reach of everyone who desires valuable inform¬
ation upon the past and present history of the black man.
A brief reference will be made to the origin of the race,
the rise of the Ethiopian and Egypt, and the early influ¬
ence of African civilization upon the ancient history of
the world. Considerable space will be given to the black
kingdoms of Soudan and the high degree of civilization
which was found to exist among them before the arrival
of white explorers. The following are some of the king¬
doms to which reference will be made at some length:
namely: Ghana, Melle, Songhay and Hansas. It will
also be shown that Spain was ruled by a black dynasty of
Africa for more than half a century, 1086-1147. Much
space will be given to the history of the American negro,
1619 to the present date. Books containing much of the
information found in this book are not accessible to the
masses of the people. I am aware that much of the in¬
formation found in this book will sound like a fairy tale,
but I assure the readers that every word is authenic his¬
tory.
In dealing with the black kingdoms and people of
Soudan, I have selected the black type of the race, to the
exclusion of the mixed races, to refute the argument that
civilization is the heritage of the lighter race. It will
also be shown that the native Africans whose history we
relate in this book are not naked savages of whom we
have heard so much, but they are people who have al¬
ways worn clothes and lived in stately mansions. Mrs.
Shaw, ("Lady Lugard") in the introduction to her book,
entitled "A Tropical Dependency," has the following to
say: "The traveler on the Niger River, from its source to
Sokoto, leaves the naked savage of the coast to prowl in
his dusky nakedness through the mangrove swamps of
Southern Nigeria; at its mouths. He sees natives on its
banks, ever increasing in dignity as the latitude recedes
from the equator. At Lokoja no native is unclothed. A
little farther north, at Bida, where the town is ap¬
proached by avenues of trees, native brass and glass man¬
ufacturers add to the usual industries. Moorish dress is
already the fashion. In the markets of Sokoto and Kano
the scenery is as varied and as dignified as any market in
the Mediterranean coast.
REV. J. J. JACKSON, D. D.
Bellefontaine, Ohio
March 23, 1921.
History of the Black Man
It is generally conceded that all the families of the
human race had a common parentage in Noah. Noah
had three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. It was the
original purpose of God that these three men should be
the heads of separate and distinct nations. The carrying
out of this purpose was begun by the confusion of lan¬
guage at the tower of Babel. Each of these men and
their descendants were given a distinct language so that
they no longer spoke their mother tongue. Ham had
four sons, viz: Cush, Mizraim, Phut and Caanan. Bab-
alonia, Phonecia, Arabia, Caanan, Syria and Africa were
settled by the descendants of Ham. Nimrod, the mighty
hunter and founder of cities, was the son of Cush and the
grandson of Ham.
Historians tell us that the inscriptions upon the tab¬
lets and submerged towers and monuments of Babylon,
Egypt and Ethiopia, reveal the fact that they all spoke
the same language. Phut, Mizraim and Cush settled
Africa. Scholars agree that Arabia was first peopled
by Cush and his descendants, Baamah or Raamah and
Sabtah. After settling Arabia, Cush migrated cross the
Red Sea, if indeed the Red Sea existed at that early per¬
iod, and settled Ethiopia, which lies south of Egypt. Stu¬
dents of history concede that the Arabs and the races of
Africa are near kinsmen. Ethiopia and Egypt are re¬
garded as the oldest settlements upon the African conti¬
nent. Historically they are the eldest born of all time; the
history of the black man 5
mothers ofalf subsequent civilization; the longest lived
among nations of the earth; the teachers of art, philos¬
ophy and religion, before Greece, and Rome were born.
When everywhere else rude huts and primitive tents
were mankind's highest form of architecture, Ethiopia
and Egypt were rearing their stupendous pyramids and
temples, which still remain the marvel of the world.
The Ethiopian represents the black type of the
Hametic race. "Can the leper change his spots or the
Ethiopian his skin?" is a familiar Bible quotation. All
of the Hametic races have either black or dark skins, or
have either wooly or curly hair. The Egyptians vary in
color from black to yellow brown. The civilization of
Ethiopia is perhaps older than that of Egypt. Heeren
historical researches: African races, has the following to
say: "In Nubia and Ethiopia, stupendous, numerous and
primeval monuments proclaim so loudly a civilization
contemporary to, aye,, earlier than that of Egypt, that it
may be accepted with the greatest confidence that the
arts, sciences and religion descended from Nubbia to the
lower country of Mizraim; that civilization descended to
the Nile, built Memphis, and finally, sometime later,
wrested by colonization, the delta from the sea."
The fame of the Ethiopian was widespread in an¬
cient history. Herodotus describes them as the tallest,
the most beautiful and the longest lived of the human
race, and before Herodotus Homer describes them as the
most just of men and the favorites of the gods. All the
purely African, or black families, are either descendants
of Ethiopia or Egypt.
Having briefly considered the origin of the black
6
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
family, I shall next give a short history of some of the
black kingdoms of Africa.
CHAPTER II
Ethiopia and Egypt are the oldest and most re¬
nowned of all the black kingdoms.
The history of these ancient kingdoms is so well
known that it will not be necessary to give them any more
than a passing notice. In art, science, literature, govern¬
ment and law these ancient kingdoms have reached a de¬
gree of perfection which subsequent ages have not been
able to surpass. The obelisk, sphinxes and pyramids are
stupendous works of human achievements, unrivaled by
any of the work of modern times. The ruins of Thebes,
the most ancient of Egyptian cities, reveal the high degree
of civilization to which these kingdoms had attained.
In speaking of this ancient city, the late Dr. J. H.
Barrows, who was president of Oberlin University, has
the following to say: The plain was not only adorned by
large and handsome dwellings, for man, but by temples
and palaces of whose grandeur words can give but a faint
conception.
All of the civilized nations of the world are vieing
with each other in collecting relics of that ancient yet
most advanced civilization of more than 6000 years ago.
With much labor and at great expense, New York
City has succeeded in bringing across the continents the
great obelisk erected by Thothsmes TII. It now stands in
Central Park, New York, near 17th Street and 5th Ave¬
nue.
For at the base of this same shaft of stone the Phar-
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
7
aohs of 5000 years ago and of subsequent periods were
wont to stand and read the inscriptions that told of their
greatness as well as the greatness of the entire Egyptian
J
kingdom.
We shall now pass from the known kingdoms of an¬
cient Ethiopia and Egypt to the hitherto unknown king¬
doms of Soudan.
During the 8th century of our present Christian era
there flourished a very important town in western Soudan
by the name of Ghana. Its exact location is not definitely
known. It was perhaps a few days' journey from Tim-
buctoo.
After being wrested from the hands of the Burburs
in the earlier part of the 8th century A. D., it was ruled
over by a long list of powerful black kings.
In speaking of Ghana, Mrs. Shaw ("Lady Lugard")
says: The town had several mosques and other public
buildings and the houses generally were very elegant.
The people were rich and living in great comfort.
The king's residence was a well built castle, thor¬
oughly fortified, decorated inside by sculptures and pic¬
tures, and having glass windows. When the king gave
audience to the people he appeared in great state, seated
under a pavilion, round which ranged ten horses capar¬
isoned in gold. Behind him were ten pages bearing
shields and swords mounted in gold.
Gold was so plentiful and salt so scarce that the
former was exchanged for its weight of the latter. The
king possessed a nugget of gold which weighed thirty
pounds.
El-Idrisi writing of this kingdom, says: Ghana is the
most considerable, the most thickly populated, and the
8
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
most commercial of all the black countries. It is visited
by rich merchants of all the surrounding* countries and
from the extremities of the west.
The king had.a..standing,karmy of 200,000 men. He
is described as being one of the most just of men, whose
-custom it was to ride once daily into the poorest and most
wretched parts of the city, and there dispense justice to
ail who had reason for complaint.
"On all other occasions he rode in great pomp, mag-
-nificehtly dressed in silk and jewels, surrounded by
•guards, preceded by elephants, giraffes and other wild
animals of Soudan, and no one dared to approach him.
The* influence of this powerful kingdom extended to
Egypt,"North Africa, and even to Spain in Europe.
The Millestinean Kingdom
Millesteari was another influential black kingdom
of the Soudan. This kingdom reached the zenith of its
power after its kings had accepted the Mohammedan re¬
ligion, which took place during the 11th century. The
Millestinean Empire reached the heighth of its influence
under the rulership of Mansamusa. Mansa means king.
After this powerful black king had established peace and
prosperity throughout the length and breadth of his vast
domain, he made his celebrated pilgrimage to Mecca in
the year 1324. The caravan consisted on this occasion,
we are told, of no less than 60,000 persons. The baggage
of this caravan was generally carried by camels, but
12,000 slaves formed the personal retinue of Mansamusa.
All these were dressed in tunics of brocade or Persian
silk. When he rode, 500 of them marched before him,
carrying a staff of pure gold which weighed sixty-two
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
9
ounces. The remainder carried the royal baggage. The
caravan was supplied with all essential luxuries, includ¬
ing good cooks, who prepared elaborate dishes, not only
foi the king, but for the king's friends at every halting
place. To defray the expenses of this journey the king
took with him gold dust to the value of upwards of a
million sterling or five million dollars. This was carried
in eighty camel loads, of three hundred pounds each. In
making this pilgrimage he made it convenient to pass
through his entire kingdom, stopping on every Friday to
build a mosque for the people. He went by the way of
Egypt where he spent considerable time with the Sultan
and learned men of that country. He finally reached
Meca, where he made many literary acquaintances, and
persuaded Abu-Ishak, the Spanish poet and architect, to
return with him. While at Meca it is said that he erected
a very beautiful mosque. He returned by a different
route, thus enabling him to pass through all parts of his
empire. Having made a complete round of his empire,
he re-entered his capital and immediately employed his
Spanish architect to design for him a hall of audience,
built after the fashion of Egyptian architecture.
It is stated that Abu-Ishak displayed all the wonders
of his genius in the erection of an admirable monument
which gave great satisfaction to the king. The hall was
square and surrounded by a dome. It was built of stone,
covered with plaster and decorated with beautiful, col¬
ored arabesques. It had also two tiers of arched win¬
dows, of which the lower windows were framed in gold
plated upon wpod, while the upper ones were framed in
silver plated upon wood. This hall of audience com¬
municated with the palace by an interior door. After
10
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
returning from his pilgrimage to Meca, Mansamusa
turned his arms against Timbuctoo, and finally took pos¬
session of the town in 1336. Musa made Timbuctoo the
capital of his empire. He made the town magnificent
with a royal palace and mosque, which he built. These
buildings were designed by the architect Abu-Ishak, and
were built of cut stone. The remains of this palace ex¬
ist until the present day.
We will give fuller description of Timbuctoo fur¬
ther on.
Mansamusa had a very prosperous reign of twenty-
five years. Ibu Khaldien says of him: Mansamusa was
distinguished by his ability and by the holiness of his life.
The justice of his administration was such that the mem¬
ory of it still lives.
CHAPTER III
Song-hayan Empire and Askia the Great
Of all the black kingdoms of Soudan, Song-hay fur¬
nishes the most interesting history. A lack of space will
not allow us to give more than a brief narrative of this
most remarkable empire.
The people claim to be direct descendants of Sa, the
younger of the two sons of Mizraim, whom they claimed
first settled their empire. According to the history of
the country, Sa devoted himself with the greatest interest
to his kingdom, which was given him by his father, and
made it prosperous. He built towns for the mosques; he
constructed baths; he had palaces with stained glass win¬
dows and exquisite gardens; he erected statues bearing
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
11
burning glasses, and other marbles, along the Mediter¬
ranean coast.
Song-ha first attracts our attention in 1355, when
Ali-Kolon became king and delivered his people from
under the yoke of Melle. But Song-ha did not assert
her power as an influential kingdom until Sonni-Ali who
had been reared and educated at the court of Mansa-
musa, made his escape and returned to his native land
and freed his people from under the yoke of Melle.
The Song-ha people gladly welcomed Sonni-Ali as
their king. Under the rulership of this very energetic
king, Song-ha greatly extended her borders and became
the greatest country of Soudan.
Sonni-Ali was succeeded by his prime minister, As-
kia Mohammed, Abou Bekr. This man, says "Lady Lu-
gard," was a pure blooded black Song-ha.
He was born of well known parents, in the island
Nina, a little below Sinder in the Niger, and he first made
his fame as a soldier, being one of the most distinguished
generals of Sonni-Ali's army. He was more remarkable
for qualities which usually characterize great civilians.
He apears to have been a man of liberal views, naturally
humane, and disposed to temperate justice with mercy,
more than usually cultivated, active, wise and firm. He
had been fortunate in the circumstances of his youth. He
came of good stock. His father was a man universally
respected. His mother was a woman of remarkable pi¬
ety, who brought up her children with care. Thirty
years' experience, which he enjoyed as prime minister
to Sonni-Ali eminently fitted him for the high position of
king of the Song-ha empire. He assumed his authority
as king shortly after the death of Sonni-Ali, 1492, the
12
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
year that Columbus discovered America. Sonni-Ali had
conquered the empire. The great work of Askia was to
organize, to bring it into a condition of peace, prosperity
and cultivation, which was little suspected as existing in
the heart of Soudan, during a period which witnessed in
Europe the expulsion of the Moors from Spain, the cru¬
sade of Charles V against the Saracens, the victory of
Leepanto over the Turks and the closing of the principle
ports of the Mediterranean to the infidels. One of his
first acts was to organize a standing army. Simultan¬
eously with his reform of the military forces of the em¬
pire he gave his attention to the church. The orthodox
and pious, whose voices had not been heard during the
late reign, came out of obscurity. Schools were founded,
new mosques were built, and the new activity was felt
throughout the empire. As soon as his subjects had
become reconciled to the new conditions and peace and
quiet had been established, Askia appointed his favor¬
ite brother to be regent in his place and went on a pilgrim¬
age to Mecca and to seek at Cairo a formal investure at
the hands of the Caliph of Egypt.
At this time Caliphs of Egypt still kept their position
as the religious heads of the Mohammedan world. He re¬
ceived his investure at the hands of El Motarvekee XIV,
Abassid Caliph of Egypt.
The ceremony consisted of a solemn abdication on
Askia's part for three days of the Song-ha throne. On
the fourth day the Caliph appointed him to the position of
lieutenant Abasside of all the sultans in Soudan, and in¬
vested him in the sign of his authority, with a turban and
cap. Askia remained for two years in the east, during
which time he devoted much time to study. Among the
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
13
subjects named as interesting his attention we find every¬
thing that concerned the government and the administra
tion of the people.
Principles of taxation, and a special land tax, and
the tithe are tributes to be taken from the newly con¬
quered peoples; verification and inspection of weights
and measures, regulation of trades, regulation laws of in¬
heritance, laws for the suppression of fraud, custom and
duties; laws for suppression of immorality and measures
to be taken for the inheritance of better manners among
the people. After remaining two years in the east, As-
ckai returned to his own empire. He succeeded in build¬
ing up a very powerful empire of which Timbuctoo was
capital.
This mysterious city reached its zenith during the
reign of Asckai. Timbuctoo was a walled city of several
thousand inhabitants. Within her walls stood large and
stately mansions. Some one has said that there was a
time when fortunes of gold could be gathered on her
streets. The city was full of rich merchants. Her col¬
leges and university produced some of the world's best
scholars, lawyers, doctors and mechanics. The town, says
Lady Lugard, swarmed with Soudanese students who
were filled with ardor for knowledge and virtue. There
were great stores of doctors, judges, priests and other
men.
Mohammed Abou-Bekr tells of one of the noted
black professors of Timbuctoo under whom it had been
his good fortune to study. He speaks as follows: "He
was one of the best of God's virtuous creatures. He was
a working scholar and a man instinct with goodness.
His nature was as pure as it was upright. Everyone
14
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
who knew him loved him. His whole life was given to
the teaching of others. He taught his pupils to love
science, to follow its teaching, to devote their time to it,
to associate with scholars and to keep their minds in a
state of docility. He occupied himself with what con¬
cerned him, listened to no gossip, and took no part in friv¬
olity ; but wrapped himself in a magnificent mantle of dis¬
cretion and reserve. His hand held fast the standard of
continence."
The study of law, literature, grammar, theology and
science were the chief subjects taught in the schools of
Timbuctoo. There were also schools of medicine. It is
said that they believed in the maxim, "He who studies
anatomy pleases God." In 1618, the author of the Tar-
ikh mentioned the fact that a celebrated surgeon of Tim¬
buctoo performed a successful operation on his brother
for cataract in 1816. There were noble philosophers
and astronomers in Timbuctoo.
Song-ha enjoyed her independence from 700 A. D. to
1591 A. D., a period of 891 years, during which she
wielded a powerful influence over the surrounding coun¬
tries of the world. Ghana enjoyed an independent exis¬
tence for over 1100 years.
Having briefly considered Timbuctoo and the Song-
ha empire, I now pass to the consideration of other king¬
doms. The white man was surprised to find such evi¬
dences of civilization as existed among these native Af¬
rican tribes. Mr. Ogilby tells us the early African ex¬
plorers reported the existence of several great kingdoms,
which have continued to exist down to the present time:
among which are Bornu, Bennin, Agades and Kano,
Ashanti, Sokoto, Fanti, Dahomi, Ibo and Bony. It may
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
15
be fitting right here to give a little description of the gov¬
ernment of some of these black kingdoms.
Mr. Featherman has the following to say of the gov¬
ernment of the kingdom of the Canuris of the millet zone:
"The ruler of the Canuris was assisted in the administra¬
tion by a chief counsellor or prime minister, a secretary
of state, a commander in chief of the army, a minister of
foreign affairs, who conducted the correspondence and
regulated intercourse with strangers, a governor of the
capital and the secretary of the interior who made annual
tours throughout the empire, reporting upon the adminis¬
tration of the country, the condition of agriculture and
industry.
In speaking of the government of the Hausa states
Mr. Featherman says: "The executive officers of the
Hausa states consisted of commander of cavalry, several
judges, a chief of slaves, a minister of finance and a sup¬
erintendent of beast of burden. The Hausa inflicted a
death penalty for either murder or adultery. The Hausa
had a law forbidding anyone from strolling about the
streets at night, and an officer would arrest anyone com¬
mitting such an offense. Any kind of rowdyism on the
streets was strictly forbidden. Those found guilty were
severely punished. In time of peace, robbery and mur¬
der were rare. Regular police preserved order at the
markets. I might continue to give evidences of well or¬
ganized systems of government in west Africa, which was
found to be existing in a most flourishing condition be¬
fore that part of the continent had ever been visited by a
single representative of the Caucasian race—a civiliza¬
tion which was a production of negro brain, on his own
virgin soil. A government existed among our African
16
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
ancestors that equals the best system of government that
may be found anywhere in our modern civilization.
CHAPTER IV.
The Black Dynasty of Spain
A very few people know, that for more than a half
century, from 1086-1147, Spain was ruled by a black
dynasty. After laying the foundation and establishing
the town of Morocco, Yusuf Mache-fin crossed over into
Spain. At this time the Arabs were being driven out of
Spain. These men with tears in their eyes and sorrow
in their hearts, came to Yusuf to employ his protection.
Yusuf is described as being a wise and shrewd man. Ho
could not speak the Arabic language, but spoke the Af¬
rican tongue. His army was made up of every tribe of
the western desert. He drove the Christian forces out of
southern Spain and established Yusuf's Spanish empire.
Yusuf died in 1105. He was succeeded by his son as
sultan of north Africa and Spain. This dynasty lasted,
with a slight intermission, until 1147. A second African
dynasty was established in 1150. Thus for a second time
a purely African dynasty reigned upon the most civilized
throne of Europe. He reconstructed the fleet of his pre¬
decessor and added to it not less than four hundred and
sixty vessels. Monuments of the civil activities of these
African rulers upon the Spanish soil still remain in the
Tower of Gibraltar, which they built in 1160, and the
great mosque of Seville which was begun in 1183.
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
17
Abyssinia, the Modern Ethiopia
Let us leave western Africa and journey across the
continent to the mountains of Abyssinia. One of the
oldest kingdoms in the world is Abyssinia. It was one of
the states of ancient Ethiopia. The queen of Sheba of
Bible fame, who visited Solomon at a time when the
Jewish empire was at its zenith, was queen of Shoa,
in the southern part of Abyssinia. Abyssinia has never
been wholly subjected to any foreign power. It is a rich
and healthy country, inhabited by the descendants of the
original Ethiopian stock. In speaking of Abyssinia, Sir
Harry Johnson says: The very name which we apply to
this modern Ethiopia is a Portuguese rendering of the
Arabic, an ancient cant, for Habesh or negro. The
French, Portuguese, Russians, Italians and English have
all in their turn tried their fortunes in trying to bring this
powerful Negro Kingdom under their subjection, but they
all met with repeated reverses and have never been able
to gain a permanent foot hold upon the soil of these
aggressive black men, as the Abyssinians delight to call
themselves. Italy was the last to give up the struggle.
She proclaimed a protectorate over Abyssinia, which was
recognized by England and Germany, but not by France
and Russia. King John of Abyssinia, in 1882, sent Ras
Allula with an army of 10,000 men against a smaller force
of Italian troops and almost annihilated the entire army.
The English government interceded in behalf of the Ital¬
ian government and finally persuaded King John of Abys¬
sinia to make peace with Italy. After this King John
went to war aganst the Wahdist, another African nation,
and was killed in battle. Menelik, the prince of Shoa, a
18
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
vassal kingdom in the southern part of Abyssinia, pro¬
claimed himself king. Menelik repudiated the protector¬
ate of Italy over Abyssinia.
In the early spring of 1896 the Italian general Bar-
atietri, with a large army, attempted to invade Abyssinia
but he was met by the forces of Menelik in the vicinity of
Adua, with the result that the Italian forces were de¬
feated and cut to pieces with a terrible slaughter; many
prisoners were taken. Sir Harry Johnson has the follow¬
ing to say about the effect of this battle on Europe:
"This," says he, "was a terrible blow to Italy, and its ef¬
fect upon European politics was far reaching." All
thoughts of an Italian protectorate over Abyssinia were
at an end, a position frankly acknowledged by Italy in her
subsequent treaty of peace with Menelik. The
French and Russians were very glad, and the French ad¬
miration of the black emperor, Menelik, exceeded all lim¬
its. A British ambassador was sent in 1887 to open up
friendly relations with Abyssinia to establish a political
agency at the king's court. The treaty at first sight seem¬
ed not wholly satisfactory to British interests, as it yielded
a small portion of Samoa land to Abyssinia, and did not
provide for any limitation to Abbyssinian boundaries on
the west. Think of a proud nation like Great Britain en¬
tering to a treaty with a kingdom, and a black kingdom
at that, when she conceded a larger concession than she
received in return. The fact is that Great Britain has
acknowledged that the black kingdom of Abyssinia has
proven herself the peer of the most powerful European
government. The prophecy of David, which says,
"Princes shall come out of Egypt and Ethiopia shall soon
stretch forth her hand unto God" is being fulfilled. The
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
19
ancient Grecians regarded Ethiopia as being a people
whose moral integrity secured for them the special favor
and protection of Zeus. When Zeus seemed to have for¬
saken the Grecian warriors in their effort to destroy the
city of ancient Troy, Homer informs us through the Iliad,
his famous poem, that Zeus was away on a visit to the
country of the blameless Ethiopian.
CHAPTER V.
Some General Characteristics of the African Family
(1) His respect for leadership. It is a commendable
fact that the different black families all over the African
continent have their special leader.
Each tribe has its chief and each kingdom has its
king. These men are highly respected by their subjects.
The reason why L'Overture was able to organize a band
of black slaves to march against the well organized forces
of the French government, defeat them in battle, and
snatch the reigns of government from the hands of their
former masters and establish the black republic of Hayti,
because many of the black slaves, having been brought
directly from Africa, had managed to keep themselves
united under tribal chiefs, and by means of their secret
societies to which they belong in their African homes; be¬
sides these there were hundreds of runaway slaves who
kept themselves hid away in the dense forest of the island.
When the time came for action they all united under
that matchless black general, Tour Saint L'Overture and
defeated the French army. The same black slaves many
of whom were fresh from the jungles of Africa, estab¬
lished a black republic, which has continued to the pres¬
ent day.
20
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
Race Pride.
The African black man has no desire to separate
himself from his own people and country. He knows the
traditional history of his ancestors and he verily believes
that his is a superior race. The people of Abyssinia de¬
light to call themselves black men. When some of the
African natives had seen Mr. Stanley, he being the first
white man that they had ever seen, they remarked that he
was as white as the devil.
Adaptability.
Perhaps the most pronounced general characteristics
of the black man as a race are his adaptability to new
conditions. Unlike the American Indian, who is becoming
exterminated under the influence of modern civilization,
the African black man is increasing in population and in¬
telligence. In the colonies where European government
has been established the natives enjoy the rights of citi¬
zenship and in many cases fill a large majority of the
government positions. The standing armies are com¬
posed of native soldiers.
The American Black Man in Slavery.
The history of the black man in America is so closely
joined to the history of the country, it is difficult to sep¬
arate one from another. We will first consider the black
man as a slave. In 1619 a little Dutch vessel landed at
Jamestown, Va., having for its cargo twenty black men
who had been decoyed and brought here from the west¬
ern coast of Africa. These black men were sold into
slavery. This is the beginning of slavery in what is now
the United States of America. It may be fitting to state
here that all of the civilized nations of the world at some
time during their history tolerated some form of slavery.
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
21
The black man himself in his African home has been the
owner of slaves. Slavery still exists among some of the
African tribes. I do not want it understood that I would
for a moment endorse or sanction the institution of slav¬
ery, but I mention these facts to show that the people of
the United States of America should not be considered the
meanest people in the world because they once held our
ancestors as slaves. Slave labor proved to be very profit¬
able to the southern planters, and for this reason there
rose a great demand for a large supply of slaves.
Slave labor was tried in the northern states, but
proved unprofitable. The development of the southern
section of the United States of America has been to a
large extent the work of the black slaves. They felled
the forest, planted, culivated and harvested the crops; in
many cases manufactured the farming utensils, built
wagons and carriages and houses for their masters.
Their brawny arms have girded the continent with a
belt of steel. In fact, they have played their part in
every movement for the development of this country.
When DeSoto made his cruel voyage through Florida,
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana,
black men were with him. When Bal Boa discovered the
Pacific ocean black men were there as witnesses to the
event. It has already been shown in the preceeding
chapters of this book that there have been some highly
civilized black men upon the African continent from
time immemorial. It may be interesting to the reader to
know that some of the black men who were captured in
Africa and brought to this country to be sold into slavery
were men of rare intelligence. I have in mind a man
22
HISTORY OP THE BLACK MAN
who belonged to the Joloff nation, by the name of Job.
His father was a king. Against the advice of his father,
Job crossed into the territory of another nation ,which
was hostile to the Joloffs. This prince was surprised
and captured and the American slave vessel was near the
place. The captain of the vessel bought Job with the
hope of receiving a ransom from his father; but before
the father had received the news and sent the ransom for
his son, the prince, the vessel had sailed for America.
Job was sold to a wealthy farmer near the city of Balti¬
more, Maryland. The farmer soon found out that Job
knew absolutely nothing about farming, but discovered
that he was an expert in caring for sheep and cattle.
Job became dissatisfied with his condition and ran away.
He was afterwards returned to his master. He could
not speak the English language, but he found that some of
his fellow slaves on the plantation understood his native
language, to whom he related the story of his life.
These slaves reported the matter to their master, whose
sympathy and respectability caused him to surround
Job with conditions which were more congenial. He
provided him with a nice room and allowed him to enjoy
more freedom. In the meantime, James Oglethorpe,
who was then in London, England, heard of the misfor¬
tune of the prince, and sent over sufficient money to
ransom him and pay his passage to London, England.
The master accepted the ransom and placed him on a ves¬
sel and sent him to London. He was received in Lon¬
don, not as a slave, but as a prince. He was Moham¬
medan and was very highly educated. He spoke the
Arabic language fluently. He was highly entertained by
the royal family. The founder of the British museum
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
23
had some rare Arabic manuscripts that he got Job to
translate. By this time Job had learned to speak the
English language. It is said that Job reproduced two
copies of the Koran, that he did not use the first in the
reproduction of the second, but that he reproduced the
whole from memory. The king fitted out a vessel and
returned Job to his home. The subject of this sketch was
captured in 1732, if I am not at fault regarding the date.
Many who will read this little book, are, no doubt,
familiar with the story of the Amisted. The Amisted
was a slave vessel which brought over some African
slaves in 1839. Among those slaves there was a man by
the name of Cinquez, under whose leadership the slaves
overpowered the captain and crew and with weapons
compelled the pilot to steer the vessel as they directed.
They intended to return to Africa, but under cover
of darkness the pilot pursued a northerly course. After
several weeks Captain Green with one of the United
States vessels captured the ship and took charge of Cin¬
quez and his comrades. After a long legal proceeding,
he and his companions were returned to Africa. John
Quincy Adams pleaded two days of four and one half
hours each before the supreme court to have the men re¬
leased and returned to their home. Cinquez not only
showed his great love for liberty but he also showed much
bravery and executive ability. I simply cited these two
cases to show what hundreds of others might have done
under similar circumstances. There are several distinct
characteristics which are peculiar to the African or black
man. Among these are adaptibilty, durability and love
of knowledge. Perhaps there is no other family in the
24
HISTORY OP THE BLACK MAN
world that can so easily adapt itself to new things and
new conditions as the African or black family. It
seems to be an innate disposition on the part of the black
man to make the best of whatever condition in which he
fmds himself. He not only conveniently adapts himself to
material things and conditions, but in addition to this it
had been proved that he lives happily side beside with
the people of any climate in the world. He is the only
people who can survive in the Soudan. Yet he lives with
equal ease and comfort in the temperate and frigid zones
as the nations that inhabit these regions. When Peary,
representing the Caucasian race of America, accom¬
plished the matchless feat of crossing the icy plains of the
Arctic circle and planted the American flag upon the
north pole one Matthew Henson, an American black man,
was standing by his side. These are the only civilized
men who have stood upon the pivot upon which the world
is balanced. The Indian is being exterminated because
he cannot adapt himself to new conditions and assimilate
the civilization of the American white man. The black
man has not only been able to live and multiply along by
the side of the white man, but he also assimilated the
civilization of the white man, even in the days of slavery.
A love for liberty caused many of the slaves to work and
purchase their liberty and the freedom of their families.
Many of these free black men worked and acquired con¬
siderable property. I shall mention a few of the free
black men who distinguished themselves in North Caro¬
lina, whose histories are related by Prof. John Spencer
Bassett, Ph. D., in his book entitled "Slavery," in the
state of North Carolina. John C. Stanley was a black
slave belonging to Mistress Lydia Stewart. John was a
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN 25
barber by trade and was such a faithful servant that his
mistress gave him his freedom in 1808. He soon began
to acquire black slaves and land until he had sixty-four
slaves and many more bound free black persons on his
several plantations. He was very apt in business, and
made money by shaving notes for his white neighbors.
His fortune is said to have amounted to forty thousand
dollars. His home was Newburn, North Carolina. It is
said that he never forgot the kindness of his mistress in
setting him free, but that when she became old he took
great pleasure in conducting her through the streets of
Newburn. She attended the Presbyterian church every
Sunday morning, leaning upon the arm of her former ser¬
vant.
The sense of gratitude shown by this man is charac¬
teristic of the black people. There were several other
thrifty slave holding black men in and around Newburn,
among whom were: John Good, a barber; John Green, a
carpenter and contractor; Richard Hazel, a blacksmith;
Scipio Hughes, a blacksmith and owner of a livery stable;
Fellow Bragg, a successful tailor. What was true of
the black men in Newburn, N. C., was true of the black
men in many other states. The free black men of the
United States of America owned $2,500,000 worth of
property when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Procla¬
mation. We might mention Washington Spradley of
Louisville, Kentucky, who was worth at his death
$350,000, a barber by trade, and Fannie Kennedy, a black
woman who was very wealthy and had property all over
Louisville. What was true of the above mentioned was
true of many others in all the states. Space will not
26
HISTORY OP THE BLACK MAN
allow me to name them individually though we know
many of them personally.
A desire or love for knowledge is an innate quality
of the black man. Even in the days of slavery, when
it was a crime for any one to teach the black man to read
or write, we find many of them, by some means, acquir¬
ing at least the rudiments of an education. I wish to
speak particularly of one character found in Prof. John¬
son's school history, who is a black man, and also Prof.
Bassett's book named above. The name of this man is
Rev. John Chavous. He was born of free parents in
Granville county, near Oxford, North Carolina, about
1763. He was a full blooded black man. When he
was but a boy, he attracted the attention of the white
members and officials of the Presbyterian church, who de¬
cided to send him to Princeton college, just to see if a
black man really possessed the ability to acquire a class¬
ical education. He completed the course with honor and
finally returned to his native state and opened a classical
school in Granville exclusively for the children of wealthy
white farmers of the community.
We all know that Princeton is in New Jersey over
which college Ex-President Wilson was president. He
also taught in Wake and Chatham counties. Among his
pupils were William P. Mangum, afterward U. S. sen¬
ator and Priestly H. Mangum, his brother; Archibold
and John Henderson, sons of Chief Justice Henderson;
Charles Manly, afterward governor of the state; Dr.
James L. Woretham of Oxford, N. C., and many more
excellent men. He was honored and respected by all
who knew him. Such was the accomplishment of a
black man, born just 100 years before Lincoln issued the
history of the black man 27
Proclamation of Emancipation. What Mr. Chavous ac¬
complished might have been done by hundreds of others
had they been given an equal opportunity.
CHAPTER VI.
The Religious Life of the Slaves
All of the slaves who were brought from Africa to
this country were either pagans or Mohammedans.
Generations of contact with Christian civilization had the
remarkable effect of stamping out many of the fetish and
idolatrous notions of the African. In a large measure,
the slave accepted the God and Savior of their masters.
Many of them were very sincere in their devotions.
They possessed that simple Christ-like faith. Many
of the burdened hearts of the slaves were made
light because they knew how to cast their cares upon
Jesus. The race produced some strong preachers in the
days of slavery. The old historic town of Fayettesville,
N. C. bears the distinction of having Methodism first intro¬
duced into it by Henry Evans, a black preacher. In
speaking of Rev. Evans, Bishop Caphers said: I have
known not many preachers who appeared more conver¬
sant with the scriptures than Henry Evans, all of whose
conversation was more instructive as to the things of
God. Ralph Freeman was another black man who won
distinction as a preacher in the days of slavery. He was
a native of Anson county, N. C., and was often called on
to preach funerals and preach at Associations. He
was a Baptist preacher. I have already referred to John
Chavous, who was a Presbyterian minister, educated at
Princeton, N. J.
We will not omit to mention among the distinguished
28
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
ante bellum preachers, Richard Allen, the founder of
the A. M. E. church. Rev. Allen was born in 1760 He
bought his freedom. On April 17, 1787, the colored peo¬
ple of Philadelphia, under the leadership of Allen and
Jones, formed what was known as the Free African Sj-
ciety. Out of this society grew the A. M. E. church,
which was organized by Rev. Allen in 1816. They first
worshipped in a blacksmith shop. Such was the be¬
ginning of one of the greatest religious organizations that
we have in this country. The history of Bishop Allen is
too well known to repeat it. I would not close this sketch
on the religious life of the black man in slavery without
saying a word at least about Sojourner Truth. This
unique character was born in 1775; was brought when a
child from Africa and sold as a slave in the state of New
York. Her mother became a very devoted Christian.
She taught her children to love and fear the Lord. So¬
journer Truth secured her freedom and became a great
advocate for the rights of women. Wendell Philipps
said that he knew but one human being who could bring
down a whole audience by a few simple words, and that
was Sojourner Truth. She never failed to seize an op¬
portunity to use all of her power of persuasion for the ab¬
olition of slavery in the United States of America.
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
29
CHAPTER VII.
The Black Man After the Emancipation
When Abraham Lincoln signed the Proclamation,
September 22, 1862, that brought freedom to 4,000,000
of black men, he little knew of the wonderful possibilities
of the people whom he had freed.
The emancipated black man was without experience
of self reliance and self government. He found himself
confronted with new conditions, but he gradually began
to adapt himself to his new surroundings. Freedom
without the right of citizenship is only part freedom.
Congress hastened to pass the 13th, 14th and 15th
amendments to the Constitution, making the black man a
citizen and at the same time giving him the right of suf¬
frage. There were many who condemn the government
for indiscriminately granting the right of suffrage to the
newly emancipated slaves. While this was a very ad¬
vanced step, it was the best thing that could have been
done under the circumstances. The ballot in the hands
of the masses of people is their only defense against the
curtailing or encroachment upon their rights as citizens.
We admit that the management in some of the states was
far from being ideal but this state of a\ffairs cannot be
truthfully laid at the door of suffrage. Some of the carpet
baggers, were, no doubt, corrupt in their practices in the
administration of the government of some of the southern
states. It must also be admitted that they used the ig¬
norant freed men as a tool to aid them in carrying out
their evil practices. But there was no other means by
which the liberty of the emancipated slaves might have
been safe guarded except by placing into their hands the
30
HISTORY OP THE BLACK MAN
ballot, the only weapon by which the rights and the liber¬
ties of a people may be protected.
At the close of the war many of the black men who
had gone into the northern states and secured an edu¬
cation returned to the southern states and became polit¬
ical leaders among their people. Among those who dis¬
tinguished themselves were Ex-Congressman John M.
Langston, P. B. S. Pinchback, who became acting gov¬
ernor of Louisiana, Josiah T. Settle, Frederick Douglas,
of abolition fame, Ex-Senator B. K. Bruce, and a host of
others, which lack of space prevents me from mentioning.
All of these gentlemen not only reflected credit upon
themselves and the people to whom they belonged, but
they also reflected honor upon the nation at large. A
revolution has taken place in the politics of the south.
A wholesale effort has been made to eliminate the black
man from politics. No well informed black man will ob¬
ject to the enactment of such laws as may be necessary to
improve the citizenship of the country, and to place the
ballot into the hands of such as are interested in good
government, provided these laws have equal force over
all classes of citizens regardless of people or previous con-
diiton of servitude.
I do not agree with that class of men who believe that
the black man should be eliminated from politics. I
believe that taxation is just as intolerable and unjust to¬
day as it was in the days of Patrick Henry and Thomas
Jefferson. No people should be denied the right of rep¬
resentation in a government which they are taxed to
support. The black man constitutes nearly two tenths of
the population of the United States without a single rep¬
resentative in the nation's Congress. Such conditions
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
31
should not exist in a republican form of government,
which is supposed to be a government of the people, for
the people and by the people.
His Material Advancement
In Georgia alone the black man owns 1,449,624
acres of land, valued at $7,972,787. It is estimated that
the black men of the United States own at least 30,000
square miles of farm land. Deal Jackson of Albany, Ga.,
owns and works 2,000 acres of land, upon which he em¬
ploys forty-six families. For the last ten or twelve years
Mr. Jackson has been the first man to place a bale of
cotton upon the market. Alfred Smith, of Oklahoma,
better known as the cotton king, won the first prize at the
World's Exposition at Paris, 1900. John J. Benson, of
Alabama, owns a farm of 3,000 acres. J. G. Grove, the
black potato king, raises an average of 72,150 bushels of
potatoes each year, which is an average of 245 bushels to
the acre. He owns five farms. The black men of the
United States of America own and control about seventy
banks. A report from twenty-nine of these banks shows
a deposit of $1,051,770, and a surplus of about $200,000.
It is estimated upon reliable information that the black
man of the United States of America owns taxable prop¬
erty, valued at $550,000,000. Adding to this amount
$300,500, which he has deposited in the banks of this
country, to say nothing of the amount hid away in chim¬
ney corners and under mattresses, will make a grand total
of 900,000,000 of wealth owned by the black man of the
United States of America.
32
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
The Black Mechanics
In 1900 there were over 200,000 black men engaged
in work requiring skill. Among them were miners and
quarry men, 36,568; sawmill and planing mill em¬
ployees, 33,266; dress-makers, 24,110; carpenters, 21,-
114; barbers and hairdressers, 19,948; tobacco and cigar
operators, 15,349; brick and stone masons, 14,387; iron
and steel workers, 2,327; engineers and firemen, 10,227;
blacksmiths, 10,004; brick and tile makers, 9,970. In
addition to these there were 2,585 black operatives in fac¬
tories and mills, 52 architects and designers, 185 electri¬
cians; 120 engineers and surveyors; 1,262 machinists,
198 tool and cutlery makers, 342 cabinet makers, 109
clock and watchmakers, 66 gold and silver workers, 86
book binders, 22 engravers, 1,845 tailors, 15 glove mak¬
ers, 24 model and pattern makers, 247 photographers,
and 1,045 upholsterers.
The Black Professional Men.
There are about 30,000 black teachers of schools
and colleges. Of this number of efficient and conse¬
crated teachers, Dr. Booker T. Washington and Dr. W.
E. B. Dubois rank among the foremost educators of the
world There are about 70,000 black ministers, 2,000
physicians, 1,000 lawyers, 100 literary and scientific per¬
sons and 210 journalists. We have had some very able
representatives of all the professional men and women of
our people. Among them are to be found Dr. R. F.
Boyd, of Nashville, Tennessee, Dr. Daniel H. Williams, of
Chicago, one of the two known surgeons of the world who
have performed successful operations upon the human
heart, Dr. George H. Hall, of Chicago, and Dr. A. M.
Curtis of Washington, D. C., noted surgeons of our peo-
HISTORY OP THE BLACK MAN
33
pie, Dr. Garland Penn, secretary of the Epworth League
of the M. E. church, among the colored people of the
United States of America. Space will not allow me to
make full mention of Paul Lawrence Dunbar, who is
reckoned among the greatest poets of the world, Henry
O. Tanner, the black artist whose productions, "The
Raising of Lazarus," "The Ten Virgins" and "The Lord's
Supper," have won the applause and admiration of the
world's best critics. Mr. Tanner won the gold medal at
the World's Exhibition at Paris, France. Rev. Dr. E. C.
Morris, president of the African National Baptist Conven¬
tion, which is the largest organization of our people in the
world, Rev. Dr. R. H. Boyd, secretary of the National
Baptist Publishing Board, which is located at Nashville,
Tennessee, and is valued at $200,050, the Rev. Dr. C. E.
Walker, the Baptist minister, the black Spurgeon,
Bishop Turner of the A. M. E. church, and Bishop
Waters of the A. M. E. Zion church, Dr. Mason of the M.
E. church and a host of others whom a lack of space pro¬
hibits my naming.
The civilization of a people may be measured by the
contribution they make toward the establishment of
schools and churches. The black people of the United
States of America own property valued at $50,000,000
and school property at $20,000,000. Since 1880 black
churches have contributed $15,000,000 for the educa¬
tion of our people. In addition to this, Mr. Carnegie
stated in his address at Edinburg, Scotland, in 1907, that
the cost of running the public schools in 1907 was $1,345,
859, and that the black people contributed by means of
taxation, $1,496,036 which was $150,137 more than was
expended in the common schools for the black people of
34
HISTORY OF THE BLACK MAN
that year* Thus we see that the black man not only-
paid for his own education but he also contributed more
than $150,000 for the education of the white boys and
girls of these United States of America. It has been
clearly shown that the black people are not backward,
neither do they show any signs of becoming extinct.
But he is justly recorded among the advanced people of
the world. A people that can produce such men as
Toursaint L'Overture, St. Augustine the bishop of Hippo
Africa, Ira Aldrige, whose success as an actor, caused
the king of Prussia, 1854, to confer a declaration upon
him; Dumas, the half breed black man of the West In¬
dies, who became one of the most famous novelists of
France, the national poet of Russia, Alexander Sergeil-
vich Pushkin, although of noble birth, his mother was a
mixed blooded African; Pixley Isaka Seme, the Zulu who
came directly from Africa and completed the college
course of Columbia University of New York and carried
off the oratorical honors of his class in competition with
America's brightest sons, in 1907, justly deserves to take
rank among the highly civilized people of the earth.
If after reading this little book some black boy is
made to have a better opinion of himself and of the peo¬
ple with whom he is identified, the writer will feel that
he has accomplished the purpose which he had in view.
REV. JOSEPH JULIUS JACKSON, D. D.,
Bellefontaine, Ohio.
Dedicated to the memory of his sainted mother and
father, namely: Henry and Emmaline Jackson and to his
two sainted wives Hattie E. and Bertha B. Jackson, the
late Rev. S. W. Lott, my teacher and preceptor, and all
friends who have contributed to my advancement and
elevation. God bless their memories.