Celebrating Black History Black History
D1 • FEBRUARY 1 - 7, 2024 • THE ST. LOUIS AMERICAN
Archer Alexander:
Civil War hero, symbol of American freedom
National Parks Service
On April 14, 1876, a 70-year-old African American named Archer Alexander, would be immortalized as the man that represented the former enslaved on the Freedom Memorial, also often referred to as the Emancipation Monument, in Washington, D.C. With him was President Abraham Lincoln, the very man who signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Alexander’s first biographer William Greenleaf Eliot stated “whose freedom came directly from the hand of President Lincoln… and his own hands had helped to break the chains that bound him.
The identity of the monument’s enslaved man would not be fully recognized until Alexander’s first biographer William Greenleaf Eliot’s The Story of Archer Alexander was published in 1885. However, recent research reveals that there is much more to this story and that Eliot’s book should be treated as historical fiction. Today, it is even more important that Archer’s actual life be known, and his story told. Archer, born in 1806 in Rockbridge County, Va, was brought to Missouri in 1829 by his enslaver James H. Alexander. He and his wife Louisa would live the next 30 years in St. Charles County and raise at least 7 of their 10 children. By 1844, the family had been split between two owners with Louisa’s enslaver being a merchant named James Naylor and Archer being enslaved by his neighbor Richard H. Pitman.
dom known as the underground railroad.
Archer found refuge in St. Louis in the home of an abolitionist and Unitarian minister named William Greenleaf Eliot, the founder of Washington University.
Eliot was also a founding member of the Western Sanitary Commission, a non-profit commission established by Major General John C. Fremont at the beginning of the war, that would be in charge of establishing hospitals, nurses, and necessary aid for the Union Troops, both white and Black. They also assisted with the contraband camps, Freedmen’s Bureau, and the refugees fleeing the south. Their fateful connection did not end there. On April 14, 1865, at 10:15 in the evening at Ford’s Theater in Washington DC John Wilkes Booth entered the back of Lincoln’s theater box, crept up from behind, and fired at the back of Lincoln’s head, mortally wounding him. Upon hearing of President Lincoln’s murder “Charlotte Scott, an emancipated slave, brought five dollars to her former master, a Union refugee from Virginia, residing in Marietta, Ohio. It was her first earnings as a free woman, and she begged that it might be used “to make a monument to Massa Lincoln, the best friend the colored people ever had.””
In January 1863, Archer overheard the area men plotting to destroy a nearby railroad bridge where it crossed Peruque Creek, a vital link for the Union troops in Missouri. Archer informed them of the threat, thereby saving hundreds of lives and a nearby contraband camp. When the informant’s identity was discovered, Archer had to flee via the network to free-
The project fell into the commission’s lap because of its relief work for the many thousands of black refugees in the western theater during the war. The circular states “A Monument is proposed to be erected in the City of Washington, by contributions from the Colored Regiments of the National Army, and the. Freedmen of all the United States, in honor of Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator, and in the testimony of the gratitude of four million American Citizens…”
Still lacking sufficient funds Eliot visited his friend and sculptor Thomas Ball, from Boston “In the summer of 1869, I was in Florence, Italy…I saw a group in
marble which he had … executed immediately after President Lincoln’s death. When I told him what we were trying to do, … he said at once, with enthusiasm, that the group was at our service … When told of the sum actually in hand, he said it was amply sufficient.” The Commission would accept this with one change…”the representative form of a negro should be…helping to break the chain that had bound him. Photographic pictures of ARCHER ALEXANDER, a fugitive slave, were sent to him…“. Ball would be asked to straighten Archer’s right arm and
Black music history at ‘Rhapsody in Blue
Works by Joplin, Williams featured at SLSO presentation of Gershwin masterpiece
By Kenya Vaughn
The St. Louis American
Every single seat in the Touhill Performing Arts Center on January 21 was filled as guests eagerly awaited St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s presentation of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” Along with a true-to-form breathtaking performance that marked the 50th anniversary of its SLSO premiere, audiences were also given perspective as far as the musical lineage from which the famed work was inspired. The
presentation was the final of a series that highlighted classical works infused with jazz.
“The reason I chose in the course of the three concerts to end with ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ is not because of its general popularity,” conductor Leonard Slatkin told the audience “But because it seems to have a place in history which makes us all believe that it was the very first work to incorporate jazz into the concert hall and that was not the case.”
By the time the audience rose to their feet to deliver an ovation that was almost as SLSO’s presentation of John Alden Carpenter’s “Krazy Kat: A Jazz Pantomime” – which predates “Rhapsody in Blue” by two years – they had a lesson on jazz origins as well as its continuum into the first half of the 20th century. And Slatkin and SLSO used the genius of Black artists to demonstrate the rich legacy of jazz and its critical role in the development of a canon of purely
James P. Beckwourth a true American pioneer
By Roger House Word In Black
James Pierson Beckwourth is a pioneer of the American West largely erased from history lessons. Recovering his story, however, can help us to better understand current debates over historical revision versus woke education — which is to say that, if he had been white, people likely would have learned about him in school. Beckwourth was an American original, at times a slave, miner, fur trapper, leader
of the Crow Indians, Army scout, and guide to the California gold mines in the 1800s. He opened a vital trading post and hotel in the Sierra Nevada mountains that became Beckwourth, California.
Historians have enshrined white “mountain men” like Kit Carson, Thomas Fitzpatrick, and William Sublette in American folklore, but not so Beckwourth. Because of racism, writers disparaged his feats and ridiculed his name. However, his keen observations of frontier life could spark discussions on co-
American music.
The concert began with Paul Turok’s “A Joplin Overture,” which featured orchestrations of Scott Joplin’s most popular works.
“It was important to play it – one, because he was a Missouri resident, but two, because this two-week exploration into looking at how we acquired a real American voice for the concert hall in a way starts with Scott Joplin and others who created ragtime,” Slatkin said.
While Joplin is a household name as a founding father to the precursor of jazz, the performance highlighted another pioneer whose name is shamefully unknown and underappreciated.
Slatkin referred to Mary Lou Williams as among the first important women jazz instrumentalists.
“We had vocalists – of course – but most of the time the world of jazz and
make it culminate in a clenched fist.
On April 14, 1876, St. Louis newspapers would carry the story: “The unveiling of the Lincoln statue…was a feature of today’s holiday. The original cost of the monument was $17,000 and other incidental expenses have all been paid by subscriptions by colored people. The last congress appropriated $3,000 for a pedestal and the statue was allowed to pass the customs house free of duty. The statue
The work of pioneering jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams was featured as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presented Gershwin’s iconic ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ on January 21st at The Touhill Performing Arts Center.
See Archer, D2 See Music, D2
lonial ideologies of ethnic displacement like Manifest Destiny, slavery and miscegenation, white settler violence against Indigenous people, and commercial exploitation of the land. His controversial exploits were investigated by historian Elinor Wilson in 1976 in “Jim Beckwourth: Mountain Man and War Chief of the Crows.” She argued that he “was a figure suited to the making of Western legend” had it not been for his race. She found that “racial prejudice inspired much of what early writers said about his life,” and that he was branded
a “gaudy liar” — even in a culture that valued the tall tale — an unfair indictment that has been recycled in contemporary times.
His accomplishments were preserved in a memoir, as well as physical landmarks, on websites, and in documentary treatments. Central is his colorful autobiography, but unlike the frontiersman Davy Crockett, students don’t learn about the “Black King of the Wild Frontier.”
Yet, his story would seem appropriate for educators today. For example, it fits with several of the topic sections in the revamped APAfrican American history framework issued by the College Board. The “Unit 2” sections on Black identity, freedom, autonomy, and living in Indige-
See Beckwourth, D3
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pop music was dominated by men,” Slatkin said. “And here was Mary Lou Williams, taking music in a very different direction than most people before her. She was an incredibly accomplished pianist, composer and arranger.” Because of her chord progressions, rhythmic ideas and bold risks with respect to harmonies –and the advice and wise counsel she willingly offered to the musicians who came to be at the forefront of the movement – Williams could be considered a founding mother of Bebop.
She wrote “Trumpets No End” for The Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Dizzy Gillespie hit “In the Land of Oo-Bla-Dee.”
SLSO audiences were acclimated to her work by way of her “Zodiac Suite.” Inspired by Ellington’s “Black, Brown and Beige,” she responded in true Mary Lou Williams fashion, by going grander.
“Zodiac Suite” features twelve movements –a suite of tributes to some of her favorite composers separated by each of their zodiac signs.
She became the first Black woman composer to have a work played by an orchestra at Carnegie Hall when selections from
“Zodiac Suite” were performed as part of the 1946 season. The work was obliterated by critics more committed to ensuring that jazz influences (especially from Black composers) stay out of classical music than examining it for the groundbreaking art that it was.
A major criticism was that the works didn’t interrelate – which is essentially the definition of a suite.
SLSO audiences will be forever grateful that contemporary pianist and composer Aaron Diehl rediscovered the work and “Zodiac Suite” is finally getting its flowers as the masterpiece that it is.
His trio and SLSO left audiences stunned with the beauty, power and diversity within “Zodiac Suite.” Diehl’s impeccable left hand had the audience enamored as his bandmates helped demonstrate how Williams’ compositions highlighted the dexterity of each instrument for which she designated notes. The sound of David Wong’s bass felt more like a featured vocalist than an instrument solo – and Aaron Kimmel’s drumming approached rhythm with the exquisiteness and tenderness of a soft melody.
The sources of the inspirations are clear in “Zodiac Suite.” The unorthodox transitions in key and rhythm make
it clear that Libra is about Thelonious Monk. But there are hints of tribute to other culture shifters within the genre such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane. And the spaces in between the notes to prepare the listener for a breathtaking virtuoso in “Taurus” is signature Ellington. The musical experience of Williams being the point of transition between Joplin and Gershwin was chef’s kiss listening as far as an illustration of the trajectory of jazz infused orchestral compositions in the 20th century and beyond. Joplin was the originator. Gershwin bravely incorporated the genre created by Black musicians into a work that still stands as one of America’s great orchestral works one hundred years after it premiered. And through Williams one can see the potential in present – and future – in a suite of works that prophesied the trajectory of jazz, and still feels ahead of its time nearly 80 years later.
The St. Louis Symphony will present the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus with featured soloist BeBe Winans at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, February 23 at The Stifel Theatre. For more information visit www.slso.org.
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is of bronze, twelve feet high, resting upon a pedestal ten feet high…..” Frederick Douglass was then introduced amid applause and delivered an eloquent oration
“This occasion is in some respects remarkable. Wise and thoughtful men of our race, who shall come after us, and study the lesson of
our history in the United States; …who shall count the links in the great chain of events by which we have reached our present position, will make a note of this occasion.”
On December 8, 1880, Archer would be buried by his family in the former Deutsch Evangelical Church Cemetery, today’s St. Peters United Church of Christ in St Louis. In a common lot grave, several deep, and no markers.
Today, Archer Alexander represents all
those enslaved whose heavy chains have been broken, and by some is seen as rising – his freedom now within sight –still fixed on that moment in time of April 14th of 1865. This monument was totally paid for, and erected by those who were formerly enslaved and it belongs to our entire Nation. The site and the base for this monument were provided by the U.S. Congress.
Items to Bring With You
Identification
ïValid picture ID, driver’s license, or passport
ïSocial Security Cards of those on tax return, letter from Social Security office or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
ïIncome (Taxable)
ïW-2s, W-2G, all 1099 series documents (A, B, C, DIV, G, INT, K, MISC, NEC, Q, R, SA, SSA)
Credits
ïDependent Care – document from daycare provider of amount paid
ïEducation Credit – Form 1098-T AND student financial account analysis
ïEnergy Credit – provide contracts, invoices and manufacturer certification in support of credit.
ïForm 1095-A – Marketplace Health
Insurance verification (ObamaCare)
ïNote: Do not bring Form 1095-B or Form 1095-C (no longer relevant for tax preparation)
Deductions
ïForm 1098-E = Student Loan Interest
ïMO-Residents – Health Insurance Premium or Long-Term Care Premiums you paid
ïNote – for many, the Standard Deduction will be more beneficial for non-homeowners and many homeowners
MO Property Tax Credit
ïMO Form 5674 (preferable) or letter from property owner (not landlord) showing the actual out-of-pocket rent paid by tenant.
ïNon-taxable income verification – SSI letter from Social Security office; VA letter showing monthly benefits received; SSA-1099,
ïPaid real estate receipt of principal residence if income (taxable & non-taxable) is less than $30,000.
Homeowners
ïPaid real estate receipt of principal residence if income (taxable & non-taxable) is less than $30,000.
IL Real Estate Property Tax Credit
ïCounty parcel ID # and verification of taxes paid.
Misc. Items
ïCopy of 2022 return
ïIdentity Protection PIN – the IRS will mail the letter early 2024.
ïBank routing and account numbers for direct deposit of refunds or direct debit of balance due.
ïIf married filing joint, both spouses must be present to sign the returns.
ïReturns with business features – not all locations prepare business returns. Returns with rental property – we do not prepare – these are out-of-scope.
Beckwourth
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nous territory would seem particularly relevant. And the Beckwourth story could be a vehicle for an action movie or television treatment. In fact, his name is used teasingly for a character in the 2021 Netflix Western, “The Harder They Fall.” And there is a documentary, “Jim Beckwourth: War Chief of the Crow,”in the 2022 Apple TV series, “Into the Wild Frontier.” Surely, his story could be relevant to controversies over racial representation in Hollywood.
Beckwourth’s
Wild Frontier
Born into slavery in about 1798 in Fredericks County, Virginia, Beckwourth was a product of rape and the legal property of a tobacco plantation owner. The violence
shaped his racial identity in conflicting and accommodating ways. His pioneer outlook was fueled by the opportunities of the Louisiana Purchase. About 1805, his master took him to work at a St. Louis fur trading post; he was later hired out for a lead-mining expedition to Illinois on the Mississippi River. With money earned from the mines, he returned to St. Louis to buy his freedom. His story from that point sheds light on the incorporation of the wild frontier into Western capitalism. His work as a trapper in the dangerous but lucrative fur trade is a window into the diverse people, places, and cultures of the Old West, and the systems of colonization and slavery that made America an economic power. For instance, he was hired by the Rocky Mountain Fur Company to supply animal pelts for fashionable wear. At the same time, as he trekked about the frontier, his freedom was subject to
challenge under the fugitive slave laws of 1793 and 1850. Like other free
James Beckwourth’s accomplishments were preserved in a memoir, as well as physical landmarks, on websites, and in documentary treatments.
Photo courtesy of wikimedia.com
master testified to his legal emancipation in courts several times.
Over the years, Beckwourth gained a reputation as a skilled hunter, fur trapper, and courageous mountaineer. His assignments took him to Iowa, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. He witnessed — and participated in — skirmishes among Indigenous nations and with white settlers. About 1828, he was captured by warriors of the Crow Nation in Montana.
Tribal leaders evidently saw value in his understanding of white culture, fluency in English, and bravery in combat. In the tribe, he rose to the position of a war chief. Today, his observations of their way of life before displacement by white settlers are valued as precious anthropology.
Witness to Continental Expansion
Beckwourth was a rare Black witness to the Seminole Nation and runaway slaves in Florida. He participated in the second of three wars from 1835 to 1842. During the conflicts, he served as a messenger
delivering instructions between army forts. He observed the deadly Battle of Okeechobee on Christmas Day 1837, involving about 800 troops under the command of Col. Zachary Taylor.
Though Taylor, who later became president, proclaimed the battle a victory, many historians tend to agree with Beckwourth’s assessment that the Seminoles got the better of the fight. He recounted: “I could not see that Ok-ke-cho-be was much of a victory; indeed, I shrewdly suspected that the enemy had the advantage; but it was called a victory by the soldier, and they were the best qualified to decide.”
Beckwourth also provided insights into the opening of California during the gold rush. In 1850, he located a passage through the Sierra Nevada mountains known as Beckwourth Pass. Then, he organized a team to prepare a road for wagon trains between Reno and northern California, known as the Beckwourth Trail, which enabled thousands of settlers to reach the fertile central valley in safety — and allowed Beckwourth to achieve a measure of commercial success.
This fascinating pioneer lived to see the end of slavery; he died around 1866, shortly after the Civil War. But he never had the legal right to become a citizen, even though he was an authentic product of the American experience. As such, the rediscovery of his story can provide an engaging springboard for re-envisioning the wild frontier.
Roger House is associate professor of American Studies at Emerson College
Black people, he lived at risk of kidnapping and enslavement; his former
