Exposure Project 3
African Americans Contributions in Texas from 1900-1945
African Americans Contributions from 1900-1945
Objective: This lesson plan introduces students to the lives of African Americans from 1900-1945.
At the end of this lesson, students will have gained a better understanding of African Americans
participation in music, military, sports, labor and organizations.
7th Grade Social Studies TEKS Requirements
§113.19. Social Studies, Grade 7, Beginning with School Year 2011-2012.
(a)
Introduction.
(1)
In Grade 7, students study the history of Texas from early times to the present.
The focus in each era is on key individuals, events, and issues and their impact….Students
describe the structure and functions of municipal, county, and state governments, explain
the influence of the U.S. Constitution on the Texas Constitution, and examine the rights
and responsibilities of Texas citizens. Students use primary and secondary sources to
examine the rich and diverse cultural background of Texas as they identify the different
racial and ethnic groups that settled in Texas to build a republic and then a state.
(2)
To support the teaching of the essential knowledge and skills, the use of a variety
of rich primary and secondary source material such as biographies, autobiographies,
novels, speeches, letters, diaries, poetry, songs, and images is encouraged. Motivating
resources are available from museums, historical sites, presidential libraries, and local and
state preservation societies.
(b)
Knowledge and Skills.
(7)
History. The student understands how individuals, events, and issues shaped the
history of Texas during the 20th and early 21st centuries. The student is expected to:
(C)
describe and compare the impact of the Progressive and other reform
movements in Texas in the 19th and 20th centuries ……;
(E)
analyze the political, economic, and social impact of major events,
including World War I and the Great Depression, ……. on the history of Texas;
(19) Culture. The student understands the concept of diversity within unity in Texas.
The student is expected to:
(A)
explain how the diversity of Texas is reflected in a variety of cultural
activities, celebrations, and performances;
(B)
describe how people from various racial, ethnic, and religious groups
attempt to maintain their cultural heritage while adapting to the larger Texas
culture;
Table of Contents:
African American Contributions to Music
 History of African Americans Contribution to Jazz
 Matthew Gee, Jr.
African American Contributions to Military during World War I
 Spencer C. Dickerson
 Henry Ossian Flipper
African Americans Contributions to Sports
 Andrew “Rube” Foster
 Jack Johnson
African Americans Contribution to Clubs & Organizations
 Blue Triangle Branch of Young Women’s Christian Association
 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People – Houston Chapter – 1917
Lulu B. White
 Texas Association of Colored Women’s Clubs
African American Contributions to Music
Jazz
In New Orleans, Louisiana, in the red-light
district of Storyville, a new and original American art
form was brewing. A music called jazz was evolving in
the brothels of Storyville. This music was named after
the jasmine perfume that the prostitutes wore. Jazz is
a unique art form that is characterized by its
syncopated rhythms, swing feeling, and improvisation.
Most jazz musicians were black and had not received
any formal training. A lot of the instruments that they
used were pawned, military instruments that had been
around post civil war and reconstruction. Jazz began to
spread like wildfire throughout the country. It was very
popular in New Orleans in the early 1900’s and then
became the dominant music in Chicago in the 1920’s
(also known as the jazz age).
Freddy Keppard was offered the opportunity to
record the first jazz record in 1916 and turned it down,
which is when he received the nick name “Foolish
Freddy Keppard.” Instead a white man by the name of
Nick Larocca and the Original Dixieland Jazz Band were
the first to make a jazz recording. Even until his death,
Nick Larocca attributes jazz music to his preeminence;
He said that “the negroes learned to play this rhythm
and music from the whites.”
Matthew Gee Jr.
Matthew Gee Jr. was born in Houston, Texas
on November 25, 1925 into a family of jazz musicians.
His brother played the trombone and his father played
the electric bass. Gee started out on the trumpet, then
switched to baritone and finally settled with the
trombone by age eleven. Gee was inspired by jazz
trombonist Trummy Young who played with the Louis
Armstrong All-Stars. Gee attended Alabama State
College and then served in the United States Army
during World War II.
After a short stint in the military, Gee began to
tour with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Duke
Ellington Orchestra and fellow Houstonian, Illinois
Jacquet. Critics acclaimed that Gee was “one of the
best and most underrated bop-influenced
trombonists.” Gee’s best known work was “Jazz By
Gee,” released in 1956 and remastered in 1996.
Matthew Gee Jr. lived out the rest of his life in New
York City where he died at the age of 53 on July 18,
1979.
African American Contributions to Military during World War I
Spencer C. Dickerson
Spencer C. Dickerson was born on December 1, 1871 in
Austin, Texas. He attended school in Austin where he
completed his early education and then continued on
to Tillotson College. He continued his education at the
University of Chicago where he excelled at both
academics and sports. Dickerson earned his Bachelor
of Science in 1897 and then received his M.D. degree
from Rush Medical College in Chicago in 1901. In 1902
he began to practice medicine and continued for the
next five years. He became the first black pathologist
at Provident Hospital in Chicago.
In 1914 Dickerson enlisted with the 8th Illinois Infantry
National Guard in the lowest grade of the sanitary
detachment. In 1916 as a first lieutenant he was
mustered into federal service for Mexican border duty.
In 1917 he reported for World War I service with the
370th Infantry. In 1918 he got promoted to captain in
the medical corps. Dickerson was stationed in Camp
Logan, Texas before being transferred to serve in
France. He returned to the U.S. in 1919 and continued
his military career earning him the rank of major in
1926, colonel and commanding officer in 1929 of the
8th Illinois Infantry. In 1934 he retired as brigadier
general from the Illinois National Guard becoming the
first black Texan to attain this rank. Dickerson spent his
life as a physician and army officer. He died on
February 25, 1948 in Chicago.
Henry Ossian Flipper
Henry Flipper was born a slave in Thomasville, Georgia on
March 21, 1856. He was educated at the American
Missionary Association and then continued to Atlanta
University. In 1873 he was appointed to the United States
Military Academy where he went on to be the first black
graduate of West Point. In 1877 he accepted a commission
as a second lieutenant and a year later he was assigned to
Company A of the 10th U.S. Cavalry. While he served in the
10th Cavalry he was stationed at forts Elliot, Concho,
Quitman, and Davis in Texas as well as at Fort Sill in Indian
Territory. Flipper was active in his military career and had
numerous accomplishments such as Flipper’s Ditch, the
construction of a road from Gainesville to Fort Sill, installed
a telegraph line from Fort Elliot to Fort Supply, scouted on
the Llano Estacado, assisted in the return of Quanah Parker,
and fought during the Victorio campaign. For all of his
service during these times he was awarded numerous
positions. He was made acting assistant quartermaster, post
quartermaster, and acting commissary of subsistence at Fort
Davis.
On June 24, 1882 Flipper was dismissed from service after
he was accused of stealing funds from his post. After leaving
the military he opened a civil and mining engineering office
in Arizona in 1887. He became very active in the community
and was appointed a special agent for the U.S. Court of
Private Land Claims. While he worked for the Court he
served as an expert on penmanship, worked on court
materials, and surveyed land grants in southern Arizona. He
continued to serve in the U.S. Court of Private Land Claims
until 1901. Flipper spent the next eleven years in northern
Mexico as an engineer and legal assistant to mining
companies. In 1921 he was appointed assistant to the
secretary of the interior by Senator Fall and remained there
until 1923. From 1925-1930 Flipper worked as an engineer
in Venezuela. In 1931 he retired and lived out his life in
Atlanta. He died in May 1934. In December 1976 the
Department of the Army granted Flipper an honorable
discharge dated June 30, 1882 upon reviewing the earlier
accusations against him.
African American Contributions to Sports
Andrew “Rube” Foster
Andrew “Rube” Foster was born in Calvert, Texas on
September 17, 1979. Rube grew up secretly playing
baseball whenever he had a chance; baseball was
frowned upon by most African-Americans as being
ungentlemanly. By the time Rube was 18 years old he
6’1” tall, and weighed around 210 pounds he started
pitching for the Waco Yellow Jackets. He was a right
handed pitcher with an angry screwball that did not go
unnoticed. He quickly moved up the ladder naming
himself “The greatest black pitcher in the country,”
even his peers thought highly of his talents. Rube’s
career was very fortunate to have the opportunity to
play for multiple teams including the Chicago Union
Giants (pictured). Rube played many roles in baseball
as a player, manager, owner, and even commissioner of
the Negro National League In 1920. In 1981 Rube was
inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He died in 1930.
Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson was born in Galveston, Texas in 1878. Jack
was the son of a former slave. He showed interest in
boxing as a teenager when he became a sparring partner.
Jack participated in prize fights called “battle royal” the
last man standing was entertainment for whites. Just
because he was black boxing never gave him a shot at the
heavy weight title, Jack kept fighting for several years
before he was awarded a chance at the title. At the age of
30 years old Jack Johnson beat Tommy Burns to become
the heavy weight champion of the world. At the height of
his career he seemed unstoppable by all other boxers,
until his bout with Jess Willard the first man to defeat
Johnson in 1915. His record was 79-8 with 46 knockouts,
12 draws and 14 no-decisions. He is a member of the
Boxing Hall of Fame. He was heavily criticized for showing
off his wealth, and marrying white women. He died from
and auto accident in 1946.
African American Contribution to Clubs & Organizations
The Blue Triangle Branch of Young Women’s Christian Association
Blue Triangle YWCA
The organizing of the Houston’s Blue Triangle Branch of
Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) was begun in
1917. The African American community wanted to provide
a recreational facility for the youth and the soldiers
stationed at Fort Logan. The branch was a composite of
several groups joining together to address the civic,
spiritual and moral welfare of young girls and provide a
safe place to recreate. The first location was at 806 Clay in
the old Masonic building, under the War Work Council,
under the national YWCA, located in Houston. Following
World War I, the branch submitted an application for
charter under the national umbrella of the YWCA and
received it in February 1920. Its founding members, Jennie
B. Covington served as first Chairperson and Ruby Craig as
Executive Secretary of the Houston’s Blue Triangle Branch
of YMCA.
One of the first major projects the branch completed was
establishing a campsite in LaPorte for recreation, fishing,
picnicking and a summer home. In 1921, the branch
established a settlement home where young women and
girls could live in a Christian environment. In 1930s, the
branched turned to focusing on Social Services as a result
of the national depression and opened an activity center
and cafeteria. The branch experienced several setbacks
and had to close its settlement home and discontinue
many of its social services. The branch served as a registry
for employment for women and girls in domestic work until
the 1940s when the war created more jobs for women. The
Houston’s Blue Triangle Branch of YWCA would continue to
serve the community. In 1998, the branch broke ties with
the YWCA and became the Blue Triangle Multi Cultural
Association, Inc.
Houston Chapter – National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP)
As early as the spring of 1913, Mary Ovington one of
the Co-Founders of the NAACP began secretly
meeting with local community leaders and church
leaders from Houston to discuss the formation of a
local chapter of the NAACP in Houston and Harris
County. The Houston Chapter formally chartered in
1918. The chapter began working to protest
inequalities African Americans faced especially with
regards to voting in primary elections. The Houston
Chapter worked with the nation headquarters in
several lawsuits challenging the white only primaries
and segregation of school. The Houston chapter
faced much opposition and intimidation by the Ku
Klux Klan and temporarily went inactive in the late
1920s. In the 1930s, a group of black leader in the
state began organizing a statewide civil rights
movement. The Houston Chapter along with
delegates from several other local chapters met in
Dallas, Texas on June 18-19, 1937 to form the Texas
State Conference of Branches of NAACP. Collectively
they were able to rally the African American
community to contest violation of state civil rights
issues.
The Houston Chapter began raising a defense fund to
help pay for a lawsuit to challenge the Democratic
primary election. The lawsuit that the Houston
chapter helped played a significant role in was the
case, Smith vs. Allwright, to outlaw the white only
primary. Lonnie Smith, a dentist in Houston, had
attempted to vote in two primary elections in 1940
but was turned away. Despite attempts by county
clerk’s office to delay the trial, on April 3, 1944 the
Court outlawed white primary elections. The
Houston chapter would gain momentum and
become one of the largest chapters under the
leadership of Lulu B. White.
Lulu B. Madison White
Lulu Belle Madison was born in 1907 in Elmo, Texas.
Lulu furthered her education after high school by
attending Butler College in Tyler and then Prairie
View College after moving to Houston. She majored
in English and then taught in the Height, a black
community in Houston. She married Julius White a
local businessman and raised two foster children.
She joined the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) where she
became very active in the civil rights movement. She
soon resigned from teaching and devoted her time
and energy in helping her husband and the NAACP in
ending the white only primaries.
Lulu White served as the Houston Chapter Youth
Director then became President in 1939 and then full
time salaried Executive Director in 1943. Under her
leadership the branch grew to one of the largest in
the country boasting a local membership of over
12,000 by 1945. Under White’s leadership the
Houston Chapter of the NAACP was instrumental in
helping win the Sweatt v. Painter lawsuit that
integrated University of Austin and Smith vs.
Allwright, to outlaw the white only primary. White
went on to become Director of the Texas State
Conference of Branches of NAACP and a national
NAACP fieldworker until she passed July 6, 1957. She
was buried in Houston. The Lulu White Freedom
Fund was established in her honor.
The Texas Association of Colored Women’s Clubs
(Formerly the Texas Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs)
The Texas Association of Colored Women’s Clubs (formerly the Texas Federation of Colored Women’s
Clubs) was organized in 1905 in Gainesville, Texas. It was part of the National Association of Colored
Women that was founded in 1896. There motto was “Lifting As We Climb.” TACWC aim was to
improve the homes, the moral and social life in the communities of Texas. Over the course of the next
40 years, the Texas Association of Colored Women’s Club laid the foundation for establishing homes
for delinquent girls; made appeals for better accommodations with rail road companies; a scholarship
fund and informative entertainment. TACWC initially purchased a ten acre tract in San Antonio to
establish a delinquent girl’s home but eventually the land was sold and another tract purchased
between Dallas-Ft. Worth. This tract was surrounded by Military establishment, it too was eventually
sold. The TACWC was eventually able to get the state legislative to committee to funding and the
Brady State School for Negro Girls in Crockett.
Past President 1905 - 1945
Mrs. M.E.Y. Moore – Gainesville 1905 - 1908
Mrs. Inez Scott – Paris 1908 - 1910
Mrs. Mary Alphin – Waco 1910 – 1916
Mrs. Carrie Adams – Beaumont 1916 – 1920
Mrs. R.A. Ransom – Fort Worth 1920 - 1922
Mrs. H.E. Williams – Corsicana 1922 - 1926
Mrs. A.E.S. Johnson – Marlin 1926 – 1930
Mrs. Ada Bell Dement – Mineral Wells 1930 – 1934; served as National President 1941 - 1945
Mrs. C.H. Christian – Austin 1934 - 1938
Mrs. W.E. Bracken – Fort Worth 1938 - 1942
Mrs. V.C. Fedford – Galveston 1942 - 1946
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