{"id":27,"date":"2019-12-14T16:40:43","date_gmt":"2019-12-14T16:40:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/africana-studies-1109-fall-2019-patriotism\/?page_id=27"},"modified":"2019-12-16T16:16:52","modified_gmt":"2019-12-16T16:16:52","slug":"anna-julia-cooper","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/africana-studies-1109-fall-2019-patriotism\/anna-julia-cooper\/","title":{"rendered":"Anna Julia Cooper (1858-1964)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Born a slave in 1858 in North Carolina, Anna Julia Cooper spent her life as an educator and scholar working to advocate for the rights of black women, African Americans, and women until she died in 1964.\u00a0 When asked to describe her vocation, Cooper answered: “The Education of neglected people” (Lemert and Bhan, 13). As an educator and principal at the M Street School in Washington D.C., Cooper emphasized the importance of a classical education as a means of attaining equality.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Portrait of Anna Julia Cooper between 1901-1903.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to her educational philosophy, Cooper believed deeply in the development of the home as the cradle for the generation of morality and manners. In her essay “Womanhood: A Vital Element in the Regeneration and Progress of the Race,” Cooper presents the importance of the American home for the nation as a whole. \u201cThe nation is the aggregate of its homes. As the whole sum of all its parts, so the character of the parts will determine the characteristics of the whole” (Lemert and Bhan, 63). She manifested this belief in her own home-building. <\/span>In Washington D.C., she opened her own home to both her students as well as two foster children and five orphans whom she raised and cared for as a single woman, economically supporting herself and her family and nurturing the community.<\/p>\n

While working, Cooper also pursued her own intellectual advancement at Columbia University and eventually completed her doctoral studies at the Sorbonne in Paris, writing a thesis on the French attitude toward slavery during the period of the French Revolution (Lemert and Bhan, 6). Cooper is recognized as one of the first Black women to receive a Ph.D., an accomplishment she made in her sixties: evidence of her lifelong pursuit of education and knowledge.<\/p>\n

As a scholar, Cooper contributed some of the founding philosophical ideas, observations, and theories of womanhood, race, and black feminism. Cooper wrote on the unique position of black women in society, their moral superiority, and the universality of the women’s emancipation movement, “a great national and international movement characteristic of this age and country, a movement based on the inherent right of every soul to its own highest development” (Lemert and Bhan, 100). In the Voice of the South, <\/em>her most well-known work, Cooper’s analysis of status of the black woman, the African American, and the nation as a whole provides a framework for understanding how “the nation was foredained for conflict from its incipiency” (Lemert and Bhan, 128) and how to move forward and reach the “ideal America.”<\/p>\n

While in much of her writing Cooper theorizes about black womanhood or blackness specifically, there is undeniable patriotic tone underlying much of what she says. Cooper’s perspective on the United States is one that is grounded in virtue and faith; both religious and political. Beyond her application of the nation’s founding ideals to her scholarship, she admits “to being an optimist on the subject of [her] country” in a\u00a0Voice of the South\u00a0<\/em>(Lemert and Bahn, 129).<\/p>\n

It is this optimism, this belief and devotion to understanding how the issues of the United States came to be and how to possibly address that makes Cooper patriotic. It is her commitment to her students, to their education that will grant them the social mobility promised by American democracy and to her own intellectual growth that captures the spirit of the patriot. It is her advocacy for not just black women and black men, but for all people that makes her a patriot. This humanist perspective is the foundation of the ideals of America.\u00a0 Whether she would have considered herself a patriot, we cannot know, but her writing and life provides a model for public service and devotion to one’s country.<\/p>\n

\""The
The only quotation from a woman in the United States Passport is attributed to Anna Julia Cooper.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Below is a “timeline” of quotations from the various essays that make up Cooper’s\u00a0Voice of the South.<\/em> Ideas of patriotism emerge from these quotations as Cooper reveals her humanist perspective through the discussion of various issues and phenomenon occurring during her lifetime in the U.S.<\/p>\n\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15, 1886\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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“We take our stand on the solidarity of humanity, the oneness of life, and the unnaturalness and injustice of all special favoritisms, whether of sex, race, country, or condition. If one link of the chain be broken, the chain is not broken. A bridge is not stronger than its weakest…<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\tWomanhood: A Vital Element in the Regeneration and Progress of the Race\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15, 1886\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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     <\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\tHas America a Race Problem? If So, How Can It Best Be Solved?\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15, 1892\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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   <\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15, 1892\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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\u201cThat equilibrium, not repression among conflicting forces is the condition of natural harmony, of permanent progress, and of universal freedom. That exclusiveness and selfishness in a family, in a community, or in a nation is suicidal to progress.\u201d (126)  <\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15, 1892\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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\u201cCaste and prejudice mean immobility. One race predominance means death. The community that closes its gates against foreign talent can never hope to advance beyond a certain point. Resolve to keep out foreigners and you keep out progress. Home talent develops its one idea and then dies. Like the century…<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15, 1892\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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“This nation was foreordained to conflict from its incipiency. Its elements were predestined from their birth to an irrepressible class followed by the stable equilibrium of opposition. Exclusive possession belongs to none. There never was a point in history when it did. There was never a time since America became…<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\tThe Intellectual Progress of the Colored Women in the United States since the Emancipation Proclamation: A Response to Fannie Barrier Williams\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15, 1893\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15, 1893\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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“We take our stand on the solidarity of humanity, the oneness of life, and the unnaturalness and injustice of all special favoritisms, whether of sex, race, country, or condition. If one link of the chain be broken, the chain is broken. A bridge is not stronger than its weakest part,…<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\tThe Ethics of the Negro Question\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 1, 2019\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15, 2019\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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\u201cA nation\u2019s greatness is not dependent upon the things it makes and uses…the question of the deepest moment in this nation today is its span of the circle of brotherhood, the moral stature of its mean and its women, the elevation at which it receives its \u201cvision\u201d into the firmament…<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15, 2019\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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\u201cIf at such times we cannot sing America it is not because of any treason lurking in our hearts. Our harps are hung on the willows and in the Babylon of our sorrow we needs must sit down and weep.\u201d (215)<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\u201cOur proudest aspiration has been but to serve her, the crown of our glory to die for her. We were born here thro no choice of our own or of our ancestors; we cannot expatriate ourselves, even if we would.” (215)<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\u201cWhatever may be problematical about us, our citizenship is beyond question. We have owed no other allegiance, have bowed before no other sovereign. Never has [a] hand of ours been raised either in open rebellion or secret treachery against the Fatherland. ” (215)<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15, 2019\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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\u201cThe best brain and heart of this country have always rung true and it is our hope today that the petrifying spirit of commercialism, which grows so impatient at the Negro question or any other question calculated to weaken the money getting nerve by pulling at the hear and the…<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15, 2019\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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\u201cProfessing a religion of sublime altruism, a political faith in the inalienable rights of man as man, these jugglers with reason and conscience were at the same moment stealing heathen from their far away homes, forcing them with lash and gun to unrequited toil, making it a penal offense to…<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15, 2019\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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\u201cThe whites of America revolted against the mother country for a trifling tax on tea, because they were not represented in the body that laid the tax. They drew up their Declaration of Independence, a Magna Carta of human rights, embodying principles of universal justice and equality.\u201d (206)<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 15, 2019\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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\u201cIt is no fault of the Negro that he stands in the United States of America today as the passive and silent rebuke to the Nation\u2019s Christianity, the great gulf between its professions and its practices, furnishing the chief ethical element in its politics, constantly pointing with dumb but inexorable…<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/section>\n\n\t\t\t\n

Reference:<\/p>\n

The Voice of Anna Julia Cooper: Including A Voice From the South and Other Important Essays, Papers, And Letters<\/i>. Edited by Charles Lemert and Esme Bhan, Rowman & Littlefield, 1998.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Born a slave in 1858 in North Carolina, Anna Julia Cooper spent her life as an educator and scholar working to advocate for the rights of black women, African Americans, and women until she died in 1964.\u00a0 When asked to describe her vocation, Cooper answered: “The Education of neglected people”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":901,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-27","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/africana-studies-1109-fall-2019-patriotism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/africana-studies-1109-fall-2019-patriotism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/africana-studies-1109-fall-2019-patriotism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/africana-studies-1109-fall-2019-patriotism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/901"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/africana-studies-1109-fall-2019-patriotism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/africana-studies-1109-fall-2019-patriotism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/africana-studies-1109-fall-2019-patriotism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}