first edition
by African American History, 1920s
Roman, William Hannibal. American Civilization and the Negro: The Afro-American in Relation to National Progress. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Co., 1921. First edition. 8vo. 437 pages. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs. Original red cloth boards with gilt lettering on spine, blind-stamped emblem on front cover.
A significant work of early 20th-century African American scholarship, American Civilization and the Negro was written by Dr. William Hannibal Roman, a physician, scholar, and advocate for Black education and progress. The book is an ambitious survey of Black achievement in America, exploring the contributions of African Americans to fields such as medicine, education, politics, and the military while forcefully arguing for racial self-sufficiency as a path to equality. Roman contextualizes Black advancement within a broader American framework, countering racist narratives that sought to minimize or erase the role of African Americans in shaping the nation. His work aligns with the ethos of early 20th-century racial uplift movements, echoing figures like W.E.B. Du Bois in its emphasis on self-determination and intellectual rigor. Roman highlights African American historical figures alongside broader discussions of race and progress. A full-page photograph of Frederick Douglass appears with the caption “Hon. Fred Douglass,” and in the accompanying text, Roman equates figures such as Crispus Attucks, Toussaint Louverture, Nat Turner, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman with international heroes of resistance, stating that “Harriet Tubman is as worthy a place in the Sacred Fanes as Grace Darling, Florence Nightingale, or Joan of Arc.” He underscores the importance of Black self-sufficiency, arguing that “the Negro has learned that racial self-sufficiency is the road to racial peace and prosperity.” Another passage expands on this theme: “As the race comes to have within itself, within its own social resources, a world that is worth living for, it will gain that individual foothold among the families of men which will check the despairing passion of its self-obliteration… That is the only real, the only permanent security of race integrity for the Negro. Its assumption is not degradation, but opportunity.”
The book is richly illustrated, featuring a photograph of the faculty of Meharry Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical College at Walden University (1915), emphasizing the role of Black medical professionals in American society. Another image captures three Black graduates in academic regalia, reinforcing Roman’s argument for education as a tool for racial advancement. Roman underscores the inextricable place of African Americans in the fabric of the United States, writing, “The slave-trade was the diaspora of the African, and the children of this alienation have become a permanent part of the citizenry of the American republic.” He challenges the idea that African Americans should or could be removed from American society, forcefully rejecting the idea of repatriation: “The Negro is not going to leave here for two reasons: In the first place, this is his home, and in the second place, there is nowhere to go. He is not going back to Africa any more than the white man is going back to Europe or the Jew is going back to Palestine.” A foundational text in early African American intellectual history, American Civilization and the Negro stands as both a historical document and a rallying cry for Black progress. The book remains a critical primary source in the study of race, citizenship, and self-determination in the post-Reconstruction era. Minor rubbing to corners and spine ends, slight fraying at the head of the spine. Binding tight and text block clean, with no markings or marginalia. Overall very good condition. (Inventory #: 21410)
A significant work of early 20th-century African American scholarship, American Civilization and the Negro was written by Dr. William Hannibal Roman, a physician, scholar, and advocate for Black education and progress. The book is an ambitious survey of Black achievement in America, exploring the contributions of African Americans to fields such as medicine, education, politics, and the military while forcefully arguing for racial self-sufficiency as a path to equality. Roman contextualizes Black advancement within a broader American framework, countering racist narratives that sought to minimize or erase the role of African Americans in shaping the nation. His work aligns with the ethos of early 20th-century racial uplift movements, echoing figures like W.E.B. Du Bois in its emphasis on self-determination and intellectual rigor. Roman highlights African American historical figures alongside broader discussions of race and progress. A full-page photograph of Frederick Douglass appears with the caption “Hon. Fred Douglass,” and in the accompanying text, Roman equates figures such as Crispus Attucks, Toussaint Louverture, Nat Turner, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman with international heroes of resistance, stating that “Harriet Tubman is as worthy a place in the Sacred Fanes as Grace Darling, Florence Nightingale, or Joan of Arc.” He underscores the importance of Black self-sufficiency, arguing that “the Negro has learned that racial self-sufficiency is the road to racial peace and prosperity.” Another passage expands on this theme: “As the race comes to have within itself, within its own social resources, a world that is worth living for, it will gain that individual foothold among the families of men which will check the despairing passion of its self-obliteration… That is the only real, the only permanent security of race integrity for the Negro. Its assumption is not degradation, but opportunity.”
The book is richly illustrated, featuring a photograph of the faculty of Meharry Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical College at Walden University (1915), emphasizing the role of Black medical professionals in American society. Another image captures three Black graduates in academic regalia, reinforcing Roman’s argument for education as a tool for racial advancement. Roman underscores the inextricable place of African Americans in the fabric of the United States, writing, “The slave-trade was the diaspora of the African, and the children of this alienation have become a permanent part of the citizenry of the American republic.” He challenges the idea that African Americans should or could be removed from American society, forcefully rejecting the idea of repatriation: “The Negro is not going to leave here for two reasons: In the first place, this is his home, and in the second place, there is nowhere to go. He is not going back to Africa any more than the white man is going back to Europe or the Jew is going back to Palestine.” A foundational text in early African American intellectual history, American Civilization and the Negro stands as both a historical document and a rallying cry for Black progress. The book remains a critical primary source in the study of race, citizenship, and self-determination in the post-Reconstruction era. Minor rubbing to corners and spine ends, slight fraying at the head of the spine. Binding tight and text block clean, with no markings or marginalia. Overall very good condition. (Inventory #: 21410)
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