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THE NEGRO
FROM
....A TO Z....
BY
A. B. COSEY, 0J
a&7
AUTHOR OF
"CRUISE OF THE U. S. S. MARION," "CRUISE OF THE U. S. S. F. C. S.
ALBATROSS,'' "CONDENSED HISTORY OF THE COLORED SOLDIER
ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE, FROM 1775 TO 1885," "THE
VESTIBULE TRAIN," "THE FLORIDA SPECIAL," ETC.
PRESS OF It. L. PENDLETON,
WASHINGTON, D. C.
18!)7.
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Robert W. Woodruff
Library
Gift of
Nancy and Randall Burkett
special collections
emory university
THE NEGRO
FROM
A TO Z..„
. • fe •.
.<& BY '4$>.
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©. A. B. COSEY, 0J
Jj$7
AUTHOR OF
"CRUISE OF THE U. S. S. MARION," "CRUISE OF THE U. S. S. F. C. S.
ALBATROSS,"1 "CONDENSED HISTORY OF THE COLORED SOLDIER
ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE, FROM 1775 TO 1885," "THE
VESTIBULE TRAIN," "THE FLORIDA SPECIAL," ETC.
PRESS OF R. L. PENDLETON,
WASHINGTON, D, C.
1807.
Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1897,
BY A. B. Cosey,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
3
INTRODUCTION.
Mv object in introducing this work to my friends and
the public in general, is to lay before them for their con¬
sideration, a few true and interesting historical facts of
the ancient and modern Negro, and to show that all races
sprung from one and the same origin, and that the history
of the Negro in America did not begin with the Emancipa¬
tion Proclamation ; I desire, further, to show that no race
in the world lived and prospered in any country under such
difficult circumstances as the American Negro in America.
I feel free to say that the cruel history of savage races of
the world, combined with the cruel history of civilized
races of the world, cannot surpass the cruelty perpetrated
upon the American Negro, for more than two hundred
years in America. It is my further desire to prove that
black is not a mark of inferiority, and Noah's prophesy of
Canaan, Ham's son, was misconstrued. No sneers of
race-prejudice, or any other unjust charge, brought
against the Negro will blot out his good history of the
past. It stands as a passport, and should encou-age every
Negro in America to contend for all rights guaranteed
him by the Constitution of the United States, and its
Amendments. It should inspire him to look upward, and
push forward to grand and noble positions. Works of this
kind heretofore have been in such costly books, and in so
many volumes that poor people could not purchase them.
I have made a great sacrifice to condense a portion of
these many volumes in one, written in language that can
be read, and readily understood by all, and placed on the
market at a price which can be reached by all. I have
not stated anything according to my personal feeling on
this subject. I have confined myself strictly to ancient
and modern historical facts.
I am 3rours for the advancement of the race,
A. B. COSEY,
Author.
THE NEGRO FROM A TO Z.
130 ONE SHOULD ATTEMPT Tcf IwRITE
article without a fixed and earnest purpose. My ob¬
ject in these few lines, is to defend, as far as I am able a
long-suffering people, who have been misrepresented, and
suffered much persecution for years. Charges have been
preferred against them more damaging and distressing
than has ever been preferred against any other race on
earth. You have read for years the opinion of the most
gigantic Caucuasian brain the world has ever produced on
this subject, tempered by time and high civilization, yet
not one of these learned gentlemen has given in a con¬
densed form true facts of the noble deeds of the ancient
and modern Negro. I shall state plainly true facts of the
past and present of the race.
The condition of the Negro in the South is a question
which must receive the undivided attention of our law¬
makers in future, to guarantee the safety and happiness of
the people of our prosperous Republic. It should receive
the attention of every American, regardless of nationality
or religious faith. It touches deeply not only upon the
good name and fame of our Republic, its high moral wel¬
fare, its glory or shame; but it touches deeply upon the
permanent safety of the whole American people.
The Negroes in all parts of America are deprived of
the full rights guaranteed them by the Constitution of the
United States and its amendments. The Negro of the
South is regarded as being outside of society and outside
of the Government; outside of the law; having nothing
in common with other races. They are continuously
being maltreated by other races, for no other reason than
that they are black, and law-abiding citizens. Mob vio¬
lence in the mildest form in any section of any country is
a breach of civilization and a disgrace to the country in
which it is carried on. The great trouble with the Amer¬
ican Negro is, everything has been dealt out to him, but
justice. Wise, foresighted men suggest to the Southern
6
people justice as a way to solve the Negro problem. Try
justice in every sense of the word and if it fails, then
resort to other means. The blood-chilling crimes upon
an innocent, defenseless people must cease, or the perpe¬
trators thereof may be called to account for their barba-
ous actions in a manner that may not be very pleasing to
them. The constitutional conventions of Mississippi and
South Carolina were the most disgraceful and unjust con¬
ventions ever held in any civilized country. The capital¬
ist should consider seriously the point of justice toward
the Negro and open the doors of their factories and work¬
shops to the rising generation. The factories of America
are protected largely by the vote of the colored citizen.
All the Negro asks in return is justice. Shut out foreign
pauper-labor and employ Americans regardless of color,
who are interested in protection for American manufacto¬
ries, American commerce, and American labor.
all races havk one origin.
The Bible tells us the races of the world sprung from
the three sons of Noah—Ham, Shem, and Japheth. The
Mongolian sprung from Shem, the Caucausian from
Japheth, and the Ethiopian from Ham. The Ethiopians
built the pyramids of Egypt and Babylon and the great
Temples of. the wonderful city of Nineveh. All an¬
cient art and science of learning of the ancient Greeks
and Romans were once in the hands of the ancestors of
the American Negro.
noah's phophesy a question.
Prejudiced writers in their attempt to prove the inferi¬
ority of the Negro quote this passage of scripture: "And
Noah began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vine¬
yard, and he drank of the wine and was drunken; and he
was uncovered within his tent; and Ham the father of
Canaan saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two
brothers without. And Shem and Japheth took a gar¬
ment and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went
backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and
their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's
nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew
what his youngest sons had done unto him, and he said,
Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be unto his
brethren. And he said, blessed be the Lord God of Shem;
and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Ja-
7
pheth, and he shall dwell in the tent of Shem, and Canaan
shall be his servant." Ninth chapter of Genesis, 20 to 37
verses.
\ou have read the above which states that Noah was
drunk, and on awaking from his drunken stupor, he felt
badly as most people feel on awaking from a drunken
sleep. Whether God would allow a man in his condition
to speak truthfully his sacred word, or whether or 110 God
wTould suffer the prophesy of a man in Noah's condition
at that time to fall upon and curse a whole race and their
children, is a question. Other parts of the Bible, however,
dispute it. We are told that the kindred of the Canaan-
ites who sprung from Canaan, Ham's son were in their day
one of the most powerful races on earth. They held the
Jews in slavery both in Egypt and Babylon. They built
the wonderful buildings of the old wTorld, and were con¬
sidered among the most prosperous and cultured races of
that day.
BLACIC NOT A MARK OF INFERIORITY.
Many noted prejudiced writers use black as a mark of
inferiority. This is not true in the human race, nor can
any author familiar with the history of ancient and mod¬
ern races of the world truthfully make such statements.
It was the Ethiopians who gave Moses his code of pro¬
cedure for the government of the Israelites. It was a
black man that passed the torch of civilization over to the
ancient Greeks and Romans that they might cease to
grapple in premier darkness. Sidon taught the world
navigation. Ardiont wrote the declaration of Indepen¬
dence of Hayti, not even surpassed by the one penned by
Thomas Jefferson. Alexander Dumas is considered the
greatest novel writer of this generation, Alexander Push¬
kin, the great Russian poet is considered the finest in the
world; Blind Tom and the Boy Pianist are considered
musical wonders. The New York World of Nov., 1895,
said of the Negro child-preacher, that her eloquence
equaled that of Talmage. One of the first almanacs pub¬
lished in"this country, was published by Benjamin Ban-
naker, one of America's best astronomers,—a black
man. Hon. F. Douglass, Hon. Henry H. Garnett, and
J. C. Price, were wonderful and accomplished orators,
their eloquence equaled that of any race. Their names
will be remembered for their great ability for generations
to come.
8
As warriors and athletes the Negro has no equal. Car¬
thage made Rome howl. Hannibal taught Napoleon how
to cross the Alps. Toussaint L'Overture was a greater gen¬
eral than Napoleon, Washington, or Grant. Under his
leadership Hayti gained its independence from France
without the assistance of any other country. Hayti,
though a black republic, is the only republic in the world
that gained its independence by the valor of its own inhab¬
itants. The old guard of Moscow was the backbone of
Napoleon's army. Their bravery was the principal cause
of his many victories. The bravery of Chrispus Attucks,
the brave Negro, who struck the first blow for the liberty
of the American people, should not be forgotten by the
people of our Republic, regardless of nationality. Pejer
Salem's bravery during the battle of Bunker Hill
brought cheers from his fleeing comrades, and tears trom
advancing foes. It was he who shot and killed the brave
English commander as he mounted the redoubt shouting,
"Today is our victory !" In every battle of the Revolu¬
tionary war Negroes stood shoulder to shoulder with the
bravest, and fought bravely tor the defense of America.
Their bravery in the war of 1812 was highly spoken of by
the commanders of the Army and Navy of the United
States. The commanding chief of the Army thanked them
publicly Lv their bravery in hurling back the British foe at
the battle of New Orleans and other places. Their heroic
deeds in the Mexican and our civil wars, can never be
forgotten by the nations of the world. The Zulu and
English wars in Africa, were watched with great interest
by all nations. The Zulus while having only their native
empleinents of war, kept England with all her modern
equipments of warfare constantly fighting for years. In
many battles the Zulus captured the modern guns from
English regiments, and immediately turned them upon
the fleeing English columns. How they learned to use
them so quickly, God only knows. The Boers, while not
equipped for war equal with the English, after many des¬
perate battles compelled the English armies to leave their
section of Africa. Gen. Antonio Maceo, the Cuban Gen¬
eral, during the Cuban war of 1895 and 1896, outwitted,
outmarched, and outfought the most competent, bravest,
and most wily Spanish generals, and marched his army
from one end of the island to the other in defiance of the
whole Spanish army, which out numbered him five to one.
9
Gen. Antonio Maceo was killed by Spanish treachery in
the latter part of 1896. The Abyssinians in 1896 com¬
pletely defeated the whole Italian army in Africa, which
caused a revolution in Italy, that threatened the over¬
throw of the kingdom. The New Yoik Heiald of March,
1896, said, " The physique and activity of the Kolafras,
the native Africans of the present day is wonderful." Civ¬
ilization can boast of no such men. Civilization adopted
its science from the dark continent. The Negro athletes,
George Dixon and Peter Jackson, can safely be called the
most skillful and scientific men in the world. They have
fought champions in all parts of the world, and of all nations,
and never were defeated. The Negro jockey, I. Murphy,
caused jockeys of all nations to quote him as the most
skillful and safe all-around jockey in the world. The Ne¬
gro bicyclist, Prof. Johnson, is considered one of the most
skillful riders and one of the best teachers in the world.
You can, therefore, see that black is not a mark of infe-
oritv, and prejudice on this account is far more unjust to
the Negro race than Noah's phophesy. Some scientists
claim that difference of color is due largely to the climate
and amalgamation of races. America is the only coun¬
try in the world that color acts as a bar to deprive loyal
citizens of their constitutional rights. Yet Thomas Jeffer¬
son the author of the Constitution of the United States
believed in freedom to all men regardless of color, in
every sense of the word.
THE CAUSE OE THE PRESENT CONDITION IN AFRICA.
The condition of the Africans when slave-trade begun
in the sixteenth century, was due to the result of the fall
of the Egyptian Empire and their wandering from God
and worshipping of idols. This curse has followed them
for generations, and will continue until they have served
out the punishment ordered by God. Yet in their horri¬
ble, barbarous condition they have not reached that state
of barbarism in which Caesar found the Britons, and de¬
scribed them as not being fit subjects to make suitable
slaves for the Roman Empire, nor the Irish who genera¬
tions back, were driven to the hills of Ulster and Con-
naught, and became almost wild. To-day the Britons are
considered one of the most brilliant races in the world.
IO
THE CONDITION OF THE AMERICAN NEGRO IN AMERICA,
The American people as a nation have sinned against
the Negro. They robbed him of the reward of his labor
during more than 200 years. When the Egyptian bond¬
men were set free, they were given a portion of their
master's fortune to begin a new life. When the Russian
serfs were set free they were given farming implements
and land upon which to begin life; but when the Ameri¬
can Negro was emancipated, he was not given anything,
but robbed of what he had, and turned out in this un¬
friendly world, homeless and penniless, to starve and die.
The old and young were so turned out.
God was with the American Negro then as he is now,
and instead of starving and dying as was expected, they
lived and flourished; and to-day they are superior in many
respects to their former masters. The efforts of those
who fought to free the slaves will come to naught if the
present condition of things in the South continue. The
work will never be completed until the thousands of Afro-
Americans in this country are given their rights in com¬
mon with other American citizens, as per the Constitu¬
tion of the United States, and its amendments. Since
colored citizens are not allowed to vote according to their
own desire, southern representation in Congress should
be reduced. The good people of our nation should take
steps to have laws passed in both branches of our National
Legislature which will protect the lives and property of
the colored citizens in the South. I do not believe in
blood-shed, but I am a firm believer in hun/lan rights, no
matter what it costs. The American people can never
fully atone for the wrongs done the thousands of blacks,
who lived and died under the yoke of bondage: but they
can, if they will, give justice and happiness to the present
and future generations. If the American people fail to
do this, the reason can be found in the fact that long years
of injustice toward the Negro has thrown him outside of
the range of human brotherhood. Protection to these
people is sure to come, just as the emancipation of the
slave had to come. The colored people of this country
have acquired property and education superior to many
whites. Notwithstanding this freedom to them is a sort of
emancipation coupled with race prejudice, which says,
"So far shalt thou go, and no farther." With these quali¬
fications, in the name of all that is good and holy are tlie>
11
to be treated so in the future ? Will those tvho passed the
amendments to the Constitution desert the Negro now in
his last complete state of disfranchisement? These are
questions for the loyal citizens to consider for the respect¬
ability of our glorious Republic.
RECORD OF THE AMERICAN NEGRO.
The American Negro has been to Americans what the
old guard of Moscow was to Napoleon's army. Reliable
support in all emergencies, and loyal citizens in the time
of peace. Long before the Emancipation Proclamation
was thought of, Negroes were free in America, and en¬
gaged in all mechanical pursuits. They worked on the
first newspaper, made some of the first wood cuts, and
were considered among the best pressmen. He was in
every social and political movement, as well as the various
war-like struggles. From 1780 to 1810 the America Ne¬
gro had his own churches, literary societies, and newspa¬
pers. Slave trade then began actively, and from that
time until the outbreak of Nat Turner, nothing was done
for their advancement. The first anti-slavery society in
America was organized by the colored citizens of Boston
in 1832. They were such active advocates for the rights
of their race, that the noble abolitionists took hold of it,
and after years of earnest work, combined with the united
efforts of the Union generals, made the anti-slavery move¬
ment too mighty to be resisted. Thus the American Ne¬
gro finds himself free, but not allowed to enjoy all the
rights and privileges of other citizens; with all these un¬
just acts toward the Negro he has never organized a strike
or attempted to rule by mob-violence. The colored citi¬
zens of this country have made a greater progress educa¬
tionally since 1865 than any other race on earth. It is natur¬
al that for the American Negro to be a genius, from the fact
he is the direct descendant of kings, queens, and noblemen
of the old world, and a mixture of all modern races. The
Amenican Negroes have only to be true to themselves and
their God, and remember that God has made them men,
and the equal of any man; be manly and have race pride,
and success will attend your every effort.
AN EYE TO THE FUTURE.
No subject should have a greater interest for all well
thinking colored citizen, or should any subject be given a
12
deeper or more* serious thought by them, than the future
of the colored race. This is a problem that only the col¬
ored citizens themselves can solve. Calling to mind the
present condition of the race in America, I am compelled
to ask each parent this question: For what purpose are
you educating your children; for what purpose did you
puzzle their brain to win diplomas; to hang upon your
walls as an ornament, to be deserted by its owner, whom
circumstances have forced to rob the non-educated of their
menial positions? This is a question for the consideration
of the present generation. Colored citizens can be seen
in large and small stores of all kinds, in all parts of
America, handing over the counter every dollar they can
raise for the necessaries of life, yet not a single member
of our race can be seen on the other side of the counter as
a saleslady or a sales-nan. Wh}r have we no representa¬
tion in Jhese various stores? Because we own no stock
in them, and have not realized the fact that business and
money are as essential to the existence and independence
of a race, as blood is for the maintenance of human life.
Relieve the body of its blood, and it becomes helpless.
Take away money and enterprise from a race, and it be¬
comes helpless. Business houses, corporations, factories,
and machine shops, in nearly all parts of theUnited States
have closed their doors against the colored citizens—male
and female—in regard to positions of honor and trust.
This is the best possible evidence that the colored race
mustdepend largely upon its own energy, brain, and money
for its future advancement along these lines. The time is
now ripe for action on our part, and we cannot afford to
delay to combine our energy, brain, and money, wTith
utmost confidence in each other, and a fixed determina¬
tion to open new avenues for the business advancement
of our rising generation. There is profit on every article
sold, large and small. Millions upon millions of dollars
are realized annually from the sale of various articles,
large and small to colored citizens. Yet not a dollar, com¬
paratively speaking, comes to the colored race, but goes
to those who have shut the doors of positions of honor
and trust against them, virtually reducing our educated
young people to the level of serfs, to be hewers of wood
and drawers of water for generations to come.