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Tracing the Bond Between African Americans and Africa from 1619 to 1936 Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University History Dissertations Department of History 12-16-2015 Imagining Home: Tracing the Bond between African Americans and Africa from 1619 to 1936 Darrell W. B. Kefentse Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_diss Recommended Citation Kefentse, Darrell W. B., "Imagining Home: Tracing the Bond between African Americans and Africa from 1619 to 1936." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2015. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_diss/48 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. IMAGINING HOME: TRACING THE BOND BETWEEN AFRICAN AMERICANS AND AFRICA FROM 1619 TO 1936 by DARRELL W. B. KEFENTSE Under the Direction of Mohammed Hassen Ali ABSTRACT This dissertation explores the intellectual, cultural, and political links between African American communities and the changing fortunes of Ethiopia. This I feel marks an important contribution in African American history and the broader global histories of the African diaspora. This dissertation also moves to demonstrate the multiple ways in which Ethiopia marked a conceptual beacon and point of reference in the struggle for African American belonging and achievement. In the broader sense, it incorporates the dynamic relationship between Anglo-Saxon Europeans, Africans, and those of the African diaspora. By tracing the founding of the North American colonies and the consequences of colonization, transatlantic migration, and the transatlantic slave trade, my objective is to reveal the foundational element that created the need for African Americans to conceptualize Ethiopia as a significant point of reference in their struggles. INDEX WORDS: Ethiopia, African American, Africa, Ethiopianism, Italo-Ethiopian War, Fascism, Haile Selassie IMAGINING HOME: TRACING THE BOND BETWEEN AFRICAN AMERICANS AND AFRICA FROM 1619 TO 1936 by DARRELL W. B. KEFENTSE A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2015 Copyright by Darrell W. B. Kefentse 2015 IMAGINING HOME: TRACING THE BOND BETWEEN AFRICAN AMERICANS AND AFRICA FROM 1619 TO 1936 by DARRELL W. B. KEFENTSE Committee Chair: Mohammed Ali Committee: Mary Rolinson Carolyn Biltoft Electronic Version Approved: Office of Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University December 2015 iv DEDICATION TO: LI’L HAWK v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank my committee chair, Mohammed H. Ali. As it is very easy for graduate students to fall through the cracks, Mohammed’s tireless efforts – in lieu of his very busy schedule – kept me on track to not only complete this project in a timely manner but to complete the program as well. Additionally, his knowledge of Ethiopia is unprecedented and his feedback in this work undoubtedly made a difference. I would also like to extend my warmest gratitude to Carolyn N. Biltoft. Her words of encouragement and her insight truly motivated me to dig deep within myself to achieve a greater understanding. She is undeniably a scholar’s scholar. I would also like to thank Mary Rolinson for graciously accepting my request to be an integral part of this project after another member of the committee relocated out of state. She has been an invaluable addition to this process. I would also like to thank Christine Skwiot and Jared Poley. Their intelligent and invaluable feedback aided in helping get this project get off the ground. Personally, I am indebted to my wife Gail. Her support and understanding made the most difficult days that much easier to manage. I want to especially thank my daughter Emiah for not allowing me to watch her grow up looking over my laptop. I am so grateful to her for pulling me away from my computer to spend those valuable moments with her that she somehow instinctively knew we would never get back. And to my parents for believing that I could complete this successfully and for encouraging me to continue. And to my friends and family who were always willing to listen to me vent when necessary and who were always there to share a kind word or two when needed. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. viii 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Sources ............................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Method and Theory ......................................................................................... 10 1.3 Outline of chapters .......................................................................................... 12 2 AFRICA, THE “DARK” CONTINENT? .................................................................... 13 2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 13 2.2 English attitude toward Africans and their descendants prior to the charter of the Royal African Company (1550-1670) ................................................................. 14 2.3 Mendacity: English attitude towards Africans and their descendants after the charter of the Royal African Company (1672-1750) ................................................ 24 2.4 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 34 3 COLONIAL AMERICA: A NEW EPOCH IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BLACKS AND WHITES .................................................................................................... 35 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 36 3.2 First arrivals .................................................................................................... 38 3.3 Cultural divide ................................................................................................. 47 3.4 Black and free: On the middle ground ............................................................ 58 vii 3.5 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 66 4 THE ETHIOPIAN ETHOS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN THOUGHT ........................ 68 4.1 Introduction: A shared awareness ................................................................... 68 4.2 African American print media and Africa ...................................................... 69 4.3 Challenging the claims of an uncivilized Africa............................................... 71 4.4 Stretching their hands unto God ..................................................................... 75 4.5 The birth of Ethiopianism................................................................................ 81 4.6 The sleeping lion awakes.................................................................................. 86 4.7 Bringing to conflict to the masses .................................................................... 91 4.8 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 96 5 ETHIOPIA, “WE HEAR YOU!” ................................................................................. 98 5.1 A most violent year .........................................................................................100 5.2 African American sentiment in historiographical context..............................103 5.3 “Hands off Ethiopia” ......................................................................................107 5.4 God’s will be done...........................................................................................122 5.5 Conclusion ......................................................................................................125 6 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................126 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..............................................................................................................133 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1 Enslaved Africans disembarked in Mainland North America Twenty-five year Averages, 1501-1750 ............................................................................................................ 52 1 1 INTRODUCTION When America’s first Black publication – the Freedom’s Journal – was founded in 1827, it gave Blacks in America a means to voice their thoughts, opinions, and ideas that ran counter to the thoughts, opinions, and ideas of most White Americans of the day. “Too long has the public been deceived by misrepresentation,” so wrote the founders in the publication’s premier issue. The Journal sought to vindicate the oppressed by relaying useful knowledge and information relating to Africa. Other Black publications emerged and followed suit. And like the Journal, which spoke out against slavery, racial discrimination, and other social injustices set upon the Black population, subsequent publications such as The Frederick
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