National Memorial Association letter to Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy
Scope and Contents
This is a 1916 letter from Ferdinand D. Lee, president of the National Memorial Association written to Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy. In the letter, Lee introduces the newly formed Association and invites Daniels to a public meeting at John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church in Washington, D.C. where the organization would present its objective to establish a monument in honor of African American soldiers.
Dates
- 1916
Creator
- National Memorial Association (Organization)
- Lee, Ferdinand D. , 1852-1936 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must submitted through the Kenan Research Center.
Biographical / Historical
In 1915 the Committee of Colored Citizens, led by Ferdinand D. Lee (1852-1936), founded the National Memorial Association (NMA) with the purpose of establishing a memorial to recognize African American veterans. Its purpose later shifted to focus on the creation of a museum celebrating African Americans’ contributions to American culture. The organization operated from the 19th Street Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Despite strong opposition, it effectively campaigned for legislation to establish a memorial when in 1929 Congress passed a resolution to allocate public funds to the NMA. In response to the Great Depression and Lee’s death, however, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) eliminated the commission. Lee and the Association’s efforts laid the groundwork for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in 2016.
Extent
1 folder(s)
Language
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase, 2020
Bias in Description
As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information. We choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not accurately convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials. Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment. In working with this collection, we often re-use language used by the former owners of the material. This language provides context but often includes bias and prejudices reflective of the time in which it was created. The Kenan Research Center’s work is ongoing to implement reparative language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete.
Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or descriptions, please let us know by emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.
- Title
- National Memorial Association letter to Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy
- Subtitle
- ahc.MSS976f
- Author
- Charlsie Wemple
- Date
- June 2024
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository