Written by
Pike, James Shepherd, American, 1811 - 1882
Date
1873
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W x D (closed): 7 1/4 × 5 × 3/4 in. (18.4 × 12.7 × 1.9 cm)
H x W x D (open): 7 1/4 × 8 1/2 × 4 1/4 in. (18.4 × 21.6 × 10.8 cm)
Caption
Written in 1873 by James S. Pike, a white Republican journalist from Maine, this racist portrayal of Black legislators in South Carolina influenced many northern white Republicans to abandon support for Reconstruction.
Description
A hardcover book titled The Prostrate State: South Carolina Under Negro Government with worn red cover. The cover has no markings, front, back, or spine. Copyright 1873. The interior cover has a stamp in red ink for the [ROOMS OF THE / Y.M.C.A.] in Richmond, Virginia. The text on the title page reads [THE / PROSTRATE STATE: / SOUTH CAROLINA UNDER NEGRO GOVERNMENT. / BY / JAMES S. PIKE, / LATE MINISTER OF THE UNITED STATES AT THE HAGUE. / NEW YORK: / D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, / 549 & 551 BROADWAY, / 1874.]. The volume opens with a preface dated [New York, Oct., 1873], that begins, "The following pages were written in Soth Carolina, during the session of the Legislature, in the months of February and March, 1873. They take their coloring from the scenes by which the writer was surrounded." and continues to posit the purpose of the book is to prevent "the Africanization" of South Carolina. The preface is followed by a table of contents. 279 pages total.
Statement
Objects depicting racist and/or stereotypical imagery or language may be offensive and disturbing, but the NMAAHC aims to include them in the Collection to present and preserve the historical context in which they were created and used. Objects of this type provide an important historical record from which to study and evaluate racism.
Place depicted
United States, North and Central America
Collection title
Stanley Turkel's Collection of Reconstruction Era Materials
Classification
Library Collections
Racist and Stereotypical Objects
Type
hardcover books
Topic
American South
Government
Politics
Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
Slavery
White supremacy movements
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Stanley Turkel's Collection of Reconstruction Era Materials
Object number
2012.160.176
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd573cdcbca-a1b5-4d7b-b62c-bc2402a43db4

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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