Racism in American history is no secret, but sometimes we need a reminder of just how far we have come. Slightly over 100 years before the inauguration of the first African-American president, the invitation of an African-American man to dinner at the White House with the president and his wife was enough to cause a scandal that embarrassed the nascent Roosevelt Administration and threatened to derail its early plans.

Theodore Roosevelt was swept into office unexpectedly upon the death of his predecessor, William McKinley, in September 1901. As a newcomer upon the national scene, Roosevelt lacked a broad base of support within the Republican Party and hoped to bolster his standing among the black voters of the American South. Despite the fact that the South had recently disenfranchised most of its African-American population, blacks still retained an important level of influence within the Republican Party through their control of Southern delegates to the national convention every four years. As such, Roosevelt thought nothing of inviting African-American educator and activist Booker T. Washington to a dinner at the White House to discuss the issues relevant to Southern blacks.

Roosevelt was fairly progressive for his time in his views regarding race, but the popular social Darwinist ideas of the period had inculcated him with some prejudice towards blacks. Still, Roosevelt recoiled from the legal and social discrimination to which African-Americans were subjected and wished to use his presidential authority to ameliorate their condition. The dinner invitation to Washington was designed as a way to gauge how that might be possible.

When news of the dinner got out, Northern newspapers politely and quietly applauded the president, African-Americans reacted with joy and anticipation, and Southerners were sent into a paroxysm of rage that evoked memories of 1860. Roosevelt’s temerity in entertaining a black man at the same table as his genteel wife was enough to evoke fury from all levels of Southern white society. Southern newspapers rained rarely-printed racial epithets at Roosevelt. A river of hate mail and death threats flooded the White House. Senator Benjamin Tillman of South Carolina threatened open violence against blacks in retaliation for the dinner. Things looked bleak for the young president’s plans.

History DVDs and History CDs The Complete Roosevelt Film Collection - 98 Historic Films on 4 CDs Theodore Roosevelt Film Library Volume 1 (Includes 28 films) on CD Theodore Roosevelt - A True American Hero DVD Theodore Roosevelt Film Library Volume 2 (Includes 23 films) on CD

Effective governance and adroit public relations enabled Roosevelt to move past the furor over the Washington dinner, but never again would he so publicly thumb his nose at racial animosities in America. Despite that, he used his executive power when he could to further the cause of black equality in America. As it turned out, America was not ready to confront the tough issues of racism and discrimination in his time, but he helped to move the process further along. As the history of the last 100 years shows, change frequently comes through the courage of taking small steps and Theodore Roosevelt took one in the cause of racial harmony.

Tags: Activist Booker T. Washington, African-American Educator, African-American voters 1900s, Black voters early 20th Century, Black voters in the American South, Booker T. Washington, Darwinism 1901, Death of William McKinley, History DVDs and History CDs, President Theodore Roosevelt, Racism in America, Racism in the States, Racism in the United States, Republican Party 1901, Roosevelt Administration, Roosevelt invites Booker T. Washington to dinner, Senator Benjamin Tillman, September 1901, social discrimination, Teddy Roosevelt, The Complete Roosevelt Film Collection - 98 Historic Films on 4 CDs, Theodore Roosevelt - A True American Hero DVD Theodore Roosevelt - A True American Hero DVD, Theodore Roosevelt Film Library Volume 1 (Includes 28 films) on CD, Theodore Roosevelt Film Library Volume 2 (Includes 23 films) on CD