Oscar DePriest Broadside
-
No requestable containers
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of a broadside announcing a speech by Congressman Oscar DePriest at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on March 6, 1931, at 8 PM. The broadside highlights DePriest’s historic significance as the only African American in Congress at the time, the first African American elected to Congress outside the South, and the first African American Congressman of the twentieth century.
The text of the broadside praises DePriest as “the most outstanding Negro in American life today” and emphasizes the importance of his visit, urging attendance with the statement, “No Negro can afford to miss seeing and hearing this great man.” The speech was held at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, a historically significant African American church in Charleston.
Dates
- Creation: 1931
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.
Conditions Governing Use
Researchers are responsible for using the materials in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright claimants in collection materials. Copyright for official University records is held by The University of Alabama. The library claims only physical ownership of many manuscript collections. Anyone wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of literary property rights or copyrights. Please contact Special Collections (archives@ua.edu) with questions regarding specific manuscript collections.
For more information about copyright policy, please visit: https://www.ua.edu/copyright/. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal implications, for which the University of Alabama assumes no responsibility.
Biographical / Historical
Oscar Stanton DePriest (1871–1951) was an American politician and civil rights advocate who made history as the first African American elected to the U.S. Congress in the twentieth century and the first African American Congressman from a Northern state. Born in Florence, Alabama, DePriest moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he became a successful real estate businessman and prominent political figure.
A Republican, DePriest was elected to represent the 1st Congressional District of Illinois in 1928, serving three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1929–1935). During his tenure, he advocated for civil rights, anti-lynching legislation, and equal employment opportunities, often challenging segregationist policies in Washington, D.C., and beyond.
DePriest’s visit to Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in March 1931 was part of his efforts to mobilize African American political engagement and challenge racial discrimination in both the North and South. The Emanuel A.M.E. Church, founded in 1817, has long been a center for African American activism and civil rights efforts.
Although DePriest lost his congressional seat in 1934, he remained politically active in Chicago and continued to fight for African American civil rights until his death in 1951.
Extent
.98 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The University of Alabama Libraries acquired the Oscar DePriest Broadside from William Reese Co. in 2018.
Processing Information
Processed by Courtney Tutt, March 2025.
- Title
- Guide to the Oscar DePriest Broadside
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid created by Courtney Tutt, March 2025.
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository