the bassett affair & freedom of expression
By Helen Yu
Trinity Prof. John Spencer Bassett founded and edited the South Atlantic Quarterly. Bassett Residence Hall is named for him. In 1903, Bassett published an article praising leading African American scholars, among them Booker T. Washington, who he considered “the greatest man, save General Lee, born in the South in a hundred years.”[1] Bassett believed Washington was an exception to the general inferiority of blacks. Josephus Daniels, owner and editor of the Raleigh-based News & Observer, called for Bassett to be fired for this opinion, claiming that his statements would “damn the state of North Carolina” and “destroy the civilization of the South.”[2] Another calling for his dismissal was Trinity alumnus and trustee Sen. Furnifold Simmons, an aggressive supporter of white supremacy and violence against African Americans. Bassett tendered his resignation even though every teaching faculty member and most students supported Bassett.[3] Trustees voted to support Bassett. Students later lit a bonfire and hung an effigy of Daniels.[4]
[1]. Bassett, John Spencer, “Stirring Up the Fires of Race Antipathy,” The South Atlantic Quarterly 2, no. 4 (1903): 297-305.
[2]. Daniels, Josephus, “Stirring Up the Fires of Race Antipathy,” News & Observer, Nov 1, 1903.
[3]. Spence, Hersey E., I Remember: Recollections and Reminiscences of Alma Mater (Durham: NC, 1954), 22-25.
[4]. “Academic Freedom Upheld,” The Baltimore News, Dec 3, 1903.
[2]. Daniels, Josephus, “Stirring Up the Fires of Race Antipathy,” News & Observer, Nov 1, 1903.
[3]. Spence, Hersey E., I Remember: Recollections and Reminiscences of Alma Mater (Durham: NC, 1954), 22-25.
[4]. “Academic Freedom Upheld,” The Baltimore News, Dec 3, 1903.
