DBQ: Wealth Disparities and Historical Developments

...and this was the entire monthly allowance of a full grown slave, working constantly in the open field, from morning until night, every day in the month except Sunday, and living on a fraction more than a quarter of a pound of meat per day, and less than a peck of corn-meal per week...So much for the slave’s allowance of food; now for his raiment. The yearly allowance of clothing for the slaves on this plantation, consisted of two tow-linen shirts—such linen as the coarsest crash towels are made of; one pair of trowsers of the same material, for summer, and a pair of trowsers and a jacket of woolen, most slazily put together, for winter; one pair of yarn stockings, and one pair of shoes of the coarsest description. The slave’s entire apparel could not have cost more than eight dollars per year. The allowance of food and clothing for the little children, was committed to their mothers, or to the older slavewomen having the care of them. Children who were unable to work in the field, had neither shoes, stockings, jackets nor trowsers given them. Their clothing consisted of two coarse tow-linen shirts—already described—per year...Flocks of little children from five to ten years old, might be seen on Col. Lloyd’s plantation...destitute of clothing...and this, not merely during the summer months, but during the frosty weather of March. The little girls were no better off than the boys; all were nearly in a state of nudity.

General we want Homestead’s; we were promised Homestead’s by the government, If it does not carry out the promises Its agents made to us, If the government Having concluded to befriend Its late enemies... and now takes away from (freedman) all right to the soil (we) stand upon... we are left in a more unpleasant condition than our former...we are landless and Homeless...You will see this is not the condition of really freedmen. You ask us to forgive the land owners of our Island...the man who tied me to a tree & gave me 39 lashes & who stripped and flogged my mother & my sister...that man, I cannot well forgive...General, we cannot remain here in such condition and when the government permits them to come back...There Is no rights secured to us...The state will make laws that we shall not be able to Hold land even if we pay for it Landless, Homeless, Voteless, we can only pray to god...

The negro is no more criminally inclined than the white man. (Black) Mothers who become widows or who are deserted by their husbands make their own way instead of applying to the children’s home. Desertions, however, are few. In the last year, only 18 have applied for help to the city poor department. In the same time the C.O.S. aided 1,265, of whom only 16 were Negroes of the 3,295 persons arrested in a year, some for the most shameful deeds, 57 were Negroes... In the last two years, our courts have granted 579 divorces, but only four to Negroes.

One of our most serious problems is to get suitable houses, either for rent or by purchase. Landlords want a first class price for the worst old ramshackle rookeries. This fact accounts for our slow increase in population here.... Some landlords and real estate owners blandly tell us they do not sell to negroes. Handbills, announcing sales of lots are thrown on our doorstep with the statement, “Negroes Not Wanted”...Our men are denied lucrative work and limited largely to positions as railroad porters or hotel waiters. You well know how small the wages are. Yet we have done well financially. The negro has proved his qualities as a soldier - such dash and bravery have never been surpassed by any other race. You cannot very well eliminate the negro.

TO APPRAISE ALL LOSS BY NEGROES

Property Owners Asked To Fill Out Blanks Which Will Be Distributed

WANT LIST OF LOSSES

Begin Preliminary Survey of Cost Necessary to Rehabilitate Burned Area

Appraisal of all property destroyed in the race riot fire Wednesday morning will be commenced Friday morning by the Tulsa Real Estate exchange to which this duty delegated by the executive committee of the board of public welfare yesterday afternoon.

Headquarters will be opened in a tent at the corned of Greenwood and Brady avenues. Property losers are requested to report there and fill out the blanks which will be furnished them. Clark Whiteside is chairman of the exchange committee.

This investigation pertains both to negroes and whites, landlords, and tenants...losers are advised not to consult any attorney as competent legal advice will be furnished free of charge by the exchange...

Consideration was given at the Thursday noonday meeting of the exchange to the practicability of convert the burned area into an industrial section with the result that the negro district would be removed to higher and more sanitary ground to the northeast...