In His Own Words

<I>In His Own Words: The Writings Speeches and Letters of George Henry White 1881-1918</I> offers a comprehensive view of the career of an African American political pioneer. The first African American to serve in the U.S. Congress in the twentieth century George Henry White was also a renowned American orator and public servant for nearly four decades.</P><P>Editor Benjamin Justesen author of <I>George Henry White: An Even Chance in the Race of Life-the first full-length biography of White</I> (2001)- compiled this exhaustive supplementary collection. Known best for his 1901 farewell speech to Congress White's varied career extended far beyond the U.S. Capitol including a powerful role as an early civil rights leader. Beginning as a North Carolina lawyer Republican legislator and school principal and ending as a Philadelphia banker and assistant city solicitor he personally touched the lives of thousands with words and deeds. White also set a rare example of selfless racial leadership during a troubled period by founding Whitesboro the experimental New Jersey colony which still bears his name.</P><P>Letters speeches and other documents highlight White's eloquent thoughts on key issues of the day such as:<UL><LI>the epidemic of lynching<LI>Southern disfranchisement of African American voters<LI>the dismissal of African American soldiers after the Brownsville Texas incident<LI>the most effective political philosophy for African Americans.</UL><P><I>In His Own Words</I> offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a true American hero as well as a compact useful tool for scholars of the post-Reconstruction era of American history.</P>