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The Original Black Elite: Daniel Murray and the Story of a Forgotten Era
In this outstanding cultural biography, the author of the New York Times bestseller A Slave in the White House chronicles a critical yet overlooked chapter in American the inspiring rise and calculated fall of the black elite, from Emancipation through Reconstruction to the Jim Crow Era—embodied in the experiences of an influential figure of the time, academic, entrepreneur, and political activist and black history pioneer Daniel Murray.
In the wake of the Civil War, Daniel Murray, born free and educated in Baltimore, was in the vanguard of Washington, D.C.’s black upper class. Appointed Assistant Librarian at the Library of Congress—at a time when government appointments were the most prestigious positions available for blacks—Murray became wealthy through his business as a construction contractor and married a college-educated socialite. The Murrays’ social circles included some of the first African-American U.S. Senators and Congressmen, and their children went to the best colleges—Harvard and Cornell.
Though Murray and other black elite of his time were primed to assimilate into the cultural fabric as Americans first and people of color second, their prospects were crushed by Jim Crow segregation and the capitulation to white supremacist groups by the government, which turned a blind eye to their unlawful—often murderous—acts. Elizabeth Dowling Taylor traces the rise, fall, and disillusionment of upper-class African Americans, revealing that they were a representation not of hypothetical achievement but what could be realized by African Americans through education and equal opportunities.
As she makes clear, these well-educated and wealthy elite were living proof that African Americans did not lack ability to fully participate in the social contract as white supremacists claimed, making their subsequent fall when Reconstruction was prematurely abandoned all the more tragic. Illuminating and powerful, her magnificent work brings to life a dark chapter of American history that too many Americans have yet to recognize.
In the wake of the Civil War, Daniel Murray, born free and educated in Baltimore, was in the vanguard of Washington, D.C.’s black upper class. Appointed Assistant Librarian at the Library of Congress—at a time when government appointments were the most prestigious positions available for blacks—Murray became wealthy through his business as a construction contractor and married a college-educated socialite. The Murrays’ social circles included some of the first African-American U.S. Senators and Congressmen, and their children went to the best colleges—Harvard and Cornell.
Though Murray and other black elite of his time were primed to assimilate into the cultural fabric as Americans first and people of color second, their prospects were crushed by Jim Crow segregation and the capitulation to white supremacist groups by the government, which turned a blind eye to their unlawful—often murderous—acts. Elizabeth Dowling Taylor traces the rise, fall, and disillusionment of upper-class African Americans, revealing that they were a representation not of hypothetical achievement but what could be realized by African Americans through education and equal opportunities.
As she makes clear, these well-educated and wealthy elite were living proof that African Americans did not lack ability to fully participate in the social contract as white supremacists claimed, making their subsequent fall when Reconstruction was prematurely abandoned all the more tragic. Illuminating and powerful, her magnificent work brings to life a dark chapter of American history that too many Americans have yet to recognize.
492 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 31, 2017
418 people are currently reading
2365 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Dowling Taylor
2 books51 followersElizabeth Dowling Taylor received her Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. Over a 22-year career in museum education and historical research, she was Director of Interpretation at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and Director of Education at James Madison’s Montpelier. Most recently a Fellow at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, Taylor is now an independent scholar and lecturer. She lives in Barboursville, Virginia.
Her latest book A SLAVE IN THE WHITE HOUSE (pub 01/03/2012) follows the inspiring story of Paul Jennings, James Madison's enslaved manservant who began his life on the Virginia plantation of a U.S. president and ended it as a free man.
Her latest book A SLAVE IN THE WHITE HOUSE (pub 01/03/2012) follows the inspiring story of Paul Jennings, James Madison's enslaved manservant who began his life on the Virginia plantation of a U.S. president and ended it as a free man.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
October 29, 2022
I am an avid consumer of Black American history. In my estimation, The Original Black Elite, reads like a graduate dissertation or research project that sort of meanders on various tangents without fully covering a discrete topic.
The book is two parts biography of Daniel Murray (1851-1925) who gathered but never published an expansive encyclopedia of black literary works; one part commentary on the intra-racial prejudices of mixed-raced Blacks against purer Blacks; and one part chronicle of certain Washington, DC Black elites (to the exclusion of Black elites in Greenwood, OK, Atlanta, GA, and other cities) and their rise during Reconstruction and gradual fall under Jim Crow, beginning with the McKinley presidency.
The Original Black Elite falls woefully short when compared to the works of other contemporary historians such as:
Isabel Wilkerson who impeccably focused her thoughts and storytelling on a clear theme (i.e., the migration of Blacks from the south to the western and northern regions of the USA) in The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration or
Richard Rothstein who brilliantly zeroed in on redlining in The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America without getting distracted by how the many non-housing-related discriminatory laws impacted Blacks or
Mitch Landrieu whose book In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History uncovered the racist motives behind the erection of statutes celebrating the lives and contributions of segregationists in the Deep South.
In the epilogue, the author does explain what she intended: a look at Black Reconstruction and Jim Crow in America from a micro level (Mr. Murray’s point of view), perhaps the way W.E.B. DuBois masterfully covered the same period from a macro level, looking at the race as a whole in Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880.
That would have been a good book but was not accomplished here due to the author’s unnecessary focus on the day-to-day minute details of Murray’s life rather than on the inflection points. Also fatal to her attempt at covering Murray’s POV was her decision to extrapolate to too many other Washington DC elites for even an alert reader to follow, especially since she did not define those bit characters in sufficient detail for them to be particularly memorable.
Wilkerson, Rothstein, and Landrieu knew how to synthesize their research, settle on a slant, and tell a compelling and complete story. Although Ms. Taylor’s Original Black Elite does not achieve such cogency, it is still a worthy read due to the little known black history facts strewn throughout—which is why I read it to the end. But readers should know what to expect—an unfocused delivery of substantial research from the papers of Daniel Murray who complied them during his 52 year career at the Library of Congress.
The book is two parts biography of Daniel Murray (1851-1925) who gathered but never published an expansive encyclopedia of black literary works; one part commentary on the intra-racial prejudices of mixed-raced Blacks against purer Blacks; and one part chronicle of certain Washington, DC Black elites (to the exclusion of Black elites in Greenwood, OK, Atlanta, GA, and other cities) and their rise during Reconstruction and gradual fall under Jim Crow, beginning with the McKinley presidency.
The Original Black Elite falls woefully short when compared to the works of other contemporary historians such as:
Isabel Wilkerson who impeccably focused her thoughts and storytelling on a clear theme (i.e., the migration of Blacks from the south to the western and northern regions of the USA) in The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration or
Richard Rothstein who brilliantly zeroed in on redlining in The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America without getting distracted by how the many non-housing-related discriminatory laws impacted Blacks or
Mitch Landrieu whose book In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History uncovered the racist motives behind the erection of statutes celebrating the lives and contributions of segregationists in the Deep South.
In the epilogue, the author does explain what she intended: a look at Black Reconstruction and Jim Crow in America from a micro level (Mr. Murray’s point of view), perhaps the way W.E.B. DuBois masterfully covered the same period from a macro level, looking at the race as a whole in Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880.
That would have been a good book but was not accomplished here due to the author’s unnecessary focus on the day-to-day minute details of Murray’s life rather than on the inflection points. Also fatal to her attempt at covering Murray’s POV was her decision to extrapolate to too many other Washington DC elites for even an alert reader to follow, especially since she did not define those bit characters in sufficient detail for them to be particularly memorable.
Wilkerson, Rothstein, and Landrieu knew how to synthesize their research, settle on a slant, and tell a compelling and complete story. Although Ms. Taylor’s Original Black Elite does not achieve such cogency, it is still a worthy read due to the little known black history facts strewn throughout—which is why I read it to the end. But readers should know what to expect—an unfocused delivery of substantial research from the papers of Daniel Murray who complied them during his 52 year career at the Library of Congress.
June 2, 2017
This was initially a capturing read. Using Daniel Murray and his family, Taylor offers insight into the black elite that emerged after the Civil War and how their gains slowly dissipated into the 1900s. But the author is careful to discuss the triumphs of this group despite legislation to demean Black people. I also enjoyed the human aspect of the book; it read like a novel at certain points.
Where Taylor tragically falters is her compulsion to describe any and everyone. I simply could not keep up with all of the characters she kept introducing. Most of the characters played no role in Daniel Murray's life and appeared to just prove to the reader that Taylor has done her research. This was disappointing, as the long description sullied the book for me.
Where Taylor tragically falters is her compulsion to describe any and everyone. I simply could not keep up with all of the characters she kept introducing. Most of the characters played no role in Daniel Murray's life and appeared to just prove to the reader that Taylor has done her research. This was disappointing, as the long description sullied the book for me.
February 7, 2017
I received an uncorrected proof copy of this book from HarperCollins.
This work of non-fiction covers the life of academic, political activist, and black history pioneer Daniel Murray, whose life embodies the rise and fall of the black elite from the time of Emancipation through the Jim Crow era. Daniel was born free in Baltimore and quickly rose to prominence as part of Washington D.C.'s upper class. He was appointed Assistant Librarian at the Library of Congress and he and his college educated wife was tremendously socially and politically active. Yet the Murrays' glittering social and cultural prospects were dimmed and ultimately squashed by encroaching Jim Crow segregation that left the Murrays and the rest of their social circle bereft of opportunities that were earlier available to them. In short, the Murrays' story is one of the downfall of the black elite and descent into racial segregation.
It was amazing to read about the accomplishments of Daniel Murray during his lifetime from 1851 to 1925. After being raised in Baltimore, he moved to Washington D.C. and began working for his brother who was a prominent caterer and whose client list "was topped by President Lincoln himself" (15). Eventually, he was hired as one of 12 staff members for the Library of Congress, where he would remain until his retirement. Eventually, Daniel married and he and his wife Anna belonged to the "colored aristocracy" of Washington: "well educated, refined, accomplished, and prosperous, these men and women followed politics and current events, engaged in the city's civic life, race-related issues in particular, and enjoyed socializing" (62).
Beyond their social status and Daniel's occupation, the couple worked hard to increase the opportunities and recognition of their race. In addition to maintaining their spacious home and vacation home and raising their five sons who would live to adulthood, Anna Murray found the time "to start several model private kindergartens for black children, develop a series of Mothers' Meetings, found and manage a training school for kindergarten teachers, and introduce day nurseries for strapped working mothers" (133). Although he never managed to publish it, Daniel Murray devoted years to a bibliography that he termed an "Encyclopedia of the Colored Race" that topped at 7,500 titles and "presents to the world for the first time the only authoritative and complete history of the achievement of colored people and their contributions to culture and civilization" (388). Among its impressive achievements, Daniel's bibliography is likely responsible for preserving ex-slave Paul Jennings's memoir from obscurity.
Unlike most histories that seem to paint American history as a slow, uphill fight for equality, this work of history sheds light on backsliding in racial equality and the gradual encroachment of racial segregation that occurred during the Murrays' lifetime. For instance, Daniel Murray had his position of Assistant Librarian, well earned after years of service and keen ability, stripped from him only to be given a lesser title and salary solely due to his race. although this seemed to pose no issue when he was first hired and promoted. Late in his career, the Library of Congress excluded blacks from the public cafeteria and a separate "colored men's locker room" was installed (336). As one of the longest standing employees, who saw the library grow from 12 to over 500 staff members, this must have felt like such a betrayal of his years of service and abilities. This social stratum of wealthy, well educated, and politically active blacks were increasingly treated less like Americans capable of realizing the American dream and more like second class residents due to their race. The tragedy for Daniel and Anna Murray and their social circle was that by the end of their life, their opportunities and those for their children and grandchildren were much more restricted than when they themselves had been born.
Although this is a biography, this work also functions as a cultural history and spends significant time detailing the political and social history of the time, which was informative but did add greatly to the length of this book and dragged at times. Additionally, I had a hard time following the careers and lives of the Murray's many sons, as they all seemed to blend together. However, this is a significant book that illustrates the opportunities once available to the black elite of the northern United States in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War.
This work of non-fiction covers the life of academic, political activist, and black history pioneer Daniel Murray, whose life embodies the rise and fall of the black elite from the time of Emancipation through the Jim Crow era. Daniel was born free in Baltimore and quickly rose to prominence as part of Washington D.C.'s upper class. He was appointed Assistant Librarian at the Library of Congress and he and his college educated wife was tremendously socially and politically active. Yet the Murrays' glittering social and cultural prospects were dimmed and ultimately squashed by encroaching Jim Crow segregation that left the Murrays and the rest of their social circle bereft of opportunities that were earlier available to them. In short, the Murrays' story is one of the downfall of the black elite and descent into racial segregation.
It was amazing to read about the accomplishments of Daniel Murray during his lifetime from 1851 to 1925. After being raised in Baltimore, he moved to Washington D.C. and began working for his brother who was a prominent caterer and whose client list "was topped by President Lincoln himself" (15). Eventually, he was hired as one of 12 staff members for the Library of Congress, where he would remain until his retirement. Eventually, Daniel married and he and his wife Anna belonged to the "colored aristocracy" of Washington: "well educated, refined, accomplished, and prosperous, these men and women followed politics and current events, engaged in the city's civic life, race-related issues in particular, and enjoyed socializing" (62).
Beyond their social status and Daniel's occupation, the couple worked hard to increase the opportunities and recognition of their race. In addition to maintaining their spacious home and vacation home and raising their five sons who would live to adulthood, Anna Murray found the time "to start several model private kindergartens for black children, develop a series of Mothers' Meetings, found and manage a training school for kindergarten teachers, and introduce day nurseries for strapped working mothers" (133). Although he never managed to publish it, Daniel Murray devoted years to a bibliography that he termed an "Encyclopedia of the Colored Race" that topped at 7,500 titles and "presents to the world for the first time the only authoritative and complete history of the achievement of colored people and their contributions to culture and civilization" (388). Among its impressive achievements, Daniel's bibliography is likely responsible for preserving ex-slave Paul Jennings's memoir from obscurity.
Unlike most histories that seem to paint American history as a slow, uphill fight for equality, this work of history sheds light on backsliding in racial equality and the gradual encroachment of racial segregation that occurred during the Murrays' lifetime. For instance, Daniel Murray had his position of Assistant Librarian, well earned after years of service and keen ability, stripped from him only to be given a lesser title and salary solely due to his race. although this seemed to pose no issue when he was first hired and promoted. Late in his career, the Library of Congress excluded blacks from the public cafeteria and a separate "colored men's locker room" was installed (336). As one of the longest standing employees, who saw the library grow from 12 to over 500 staff members, this must have felt like such a betrayal of his years of service and abilities. This social stratum of wealthy, well educated, and politically active blacks were increasingly treated less like Americans capable of realizing the American dream and more like second class residents due to their race. The tragedy for Daniel and Anna Murray and their social circle was that by the end of their life, their opportunities and those for their children and grandchildren were much more restricted than when they themselves had been born.
Although this is a biography, this work also functions as a cultural history and spends significant time detailing the political and social history of the time, which was informative but did add greatly to the length of this book and dragged at times. Additionally, I had a hard time following the careers and lives of the Murray's many sons, as they all seemed to blend together. However, this is a significant book that illustrates the opportunities once available to the black elite of the northern United States in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War.
May 25, 2017
"Daniel Murray was 'a race man to the core.' If he took any pride in being the first Black man to join this organization or the only one to be invited to that social occasion, his greater goal, his long-range vision, was to be in the vanguard of merit-based recognition for every American of color. The rise of those in Murray's black elite circle was realized rather than potential." (pg. 3)
After reading this book I'm not sure if people would say the Black elite of today is as race-conscious as the Black elite were during Reconstruction. But my hope is that that particular audience will read this book and be reminded of their duty to 'lift as the climb'. Especially when you realize that all the people mentioned in this book were the epitome of Black excellence and still faced major setbacks and eventually had most of their rights taken away. I was proud to read that Black people of all classes fought back, I have to admit I didn't expect the Black elite to rally in both nonviolent and violent ways as their freedoms were taken away from them. But Taylor goes into detail about the ways the Black elite rallied to protect themselves when faced with physical confrontation (and managed to be successful!); "Neighbors mobilized in self-defense, erecting crude barricades around the perimeter of their community. More than a thousand armed residents manned U and 7th streets. Sharpshooters waited tensely on the roof of Howard Theater, the tallest building in the area. White mobs did advance and were met by armed resistance. [...] Overall, whites fared as badly as or worse than blacks" (368).
This is an ambitious undertaking, it is based around the story of Daniel Murray but Taylor expertly weaves in most of the major Black figures of the time. It becomes very clear that all rich Black people knew each other during this time and it made me proud to read about all our achievements. Since the Black elite is so connected and incestuous, the book while primarily set in DC, also expands to Chicago and New York City at certain moments as well as parts of the South and Midwest that the elite enjoyed 'summering' at or visiting. "Without unduly romanticizing segregated black life, a vital and vibrant culture flourished in the U Street neighborhood, and so did racial pride: ironic fruits of exclusion. It evolved into a community in which residents could patronize a full range of black-owned businesses, three hundred of the by 1920, that met essentially all their needs" (345). Furthermore I was plesantly surprised the book noted the cultural renaissance in DC, I remember learning briefly about this in a 'history of DC' class that I took; "The cultural flowering in Northwest Washington in the 1920s rivaled that in Harlem. Black Washingtonians made up more than a quarter of the overall number of city residents. Only New York and Chicago had larger African American populations. The U Street neighborhood was the locus of African American intellectual, literary, and artistic life, bringing forth an outpouring of talented and inventive writers, artists, and performers" (379). However I also finished the book feeling sad since the U Street described doesn't exist anymore and we still face a lot of the same challenges, especially when the author describes the education battle. Daniel Murray served as a precursor to Carter Woodson and his story should be told, the lifelong Black history encyclopedia project he took on was incredible and it's extremely frustrating to go on the journey of publishing rejection with him. It's also frustrating to see that while the story is about a man, equal amount of time is spent on his wife, Anna (super power couple alert) and other influential women of the time. Anna was a champion of kindergarten before it was a popular accepted concept and she was a quintessential 'society woman' involved in a variety of other causes as well. This is not to say that Murray was not problematic, he believed mixed race was the ideal ethnic combination and he could be extremely petty. But the book delves into that and also does not hesitate to stress that the Black elite were most often descended from light skinned slaves or always-free families, so they had a small leg up from the beginning.
In addition to Black excellence being unable to save you from racial prejudice, the Murray family also seemed extremely cursed (near Kennedy curse levels) in their private life. They broke down barriers or had a hand in most major historical moments (founded the Alphas, participated in the John Brown raids, helped found the pre NAACP, etc etc) but also face several familial tragedies that strike me as unbearable but they manage to shoulder on. The story runs smoothly and while a family tree would likely have been helpful to flip back to throughout the reading, for the most part it wasn't too difficult to keep everything straight. An inspiring read that reminds you Black people have always strived for achievement and excellence, regardless of the obstacles thrown in their way.
"The single greatest reversal in our history was the disregard of black citizens' newly won rights when Reconstruction was peremptorily abandoned. Worse yet, here was a case where the Constitution spoke loud and clear but was discounted. Worst of all, though we tout our being-first and foremost-a nation of laws, violent crimes such as arson and lynching were ignored or even tacitly condoned. It is a part of our history many Americans do not want to her about, much less own. Yet only by remembering, and determining to respect the rights of all henceforth, can we redeem ourselves as a nation for shameful chapters in our past. Americans recognize, even as James Madison did, that slavery was 'a blot on our Republican character,' but too many think that prospects for African Americans grew continually from the day the Emancipation Proclamation was released, and if progress was slow, well, maybe blacks tended not to be the go-getters, rather preferring to languish in the victim role. The historical reality reveals a temporary rise in status followed by a disastrous suppression, forced by white supremacists and reinforced by government. Blame-the-victim characterizations of black struggles do not take into account the full historical evolution. Unrealized black advancement is America's problem, and our government and society are rightly tasked with fixing it" (411).
After reading this book I'm not sure if people would say the Black elite of today is as race-conscious as the Black elite were during Reconstruction. But my hope is that that particular audience will read this book and be reminded of their duty to 'lift as the climb'. Especially when you realize that all the people mentioned in this book were the epitome of Black excellence and still faced major setbacks and eventually had most of their rights taken away. I was proud to read that Black people of all classes fought back, I have to admit I didn't expect the Black elite to rally in both nonviolent and violent ways as their freedoms were taken away from them. But Taylor goes into detail about the ways the Black elite rallied to protect themselves when faced with physical confrontation (and managed to be successful!); "Neighbors mobilized in self-defense, erecting crude barricades around the perimeter of their community. More than a thousand armed residents manned U and 7th streets. Sharpshooters waited tensely on the roof of Howard Theater, the tallest building in the area. White mobs did advance and were met by armed resistance. [...] Overall, whites fared as badly as or worse than blacks" (368).
This is an ambitious undertaking, it is based around the story of Daniel Murray but Taylor expertly weaves in most of the major Black figures of the time. It becomes very clear that all rich Black people knew each other during this time and it made me proud to read about all our achievements. Since the Black elite is so connected and incestuous, the book while primarily set in DC, also expands to Chicago and New York City at certain moments as well as parts of the South and Midwest that the elite enjoyed 'summering' at or visiting. "Without unduly romanticizing segregated black life, a vital and vibrant culture flourished in the U Street neighborhood, and so did racial pride: ironic fruits of exclusion. It evolved into a community in which residents could patronize a full range of black-owned businesses, three hundred of the by 1920, that met essentially all their needs" (345). Furthermore I was plesantly surprised the book noted the cultural renaissance in DC, I remember learning briefly about this in a 'history of DC' class that I took; "The cultural flowering in Northwest Washington in the 1920s rivaled that in Harlem. Black Washingtonians made up more than a quarter of the overall number of city residents. Only New York and Chicago had larger African American populations. The U Street neighborhood was the locus of African American intellectual, literary, and artistic life, bringing forth an outpouring of talented and inventive writers, artists, and performers" (379). However I also finished the book feeling sad since the U Street described doesn't exist anymore and we still face a lot of the same challenges, especially when the author describes the education battle. Daniel Murray served as a precursor to Carter Woodson and his story should be told, the lifelong Black history encyclopedia project he took on was incredible and it's extremely frustrating to go on the journey of publishing rejection with him. It's also frustrating to see that while the story is about a man, equal amount of time is spent on his wife, Anna (super power couple alert) and other influential women of the time. Anna was a champion of kindergarten before it was a popular accepted concept and she was a quintessential 'society woman' involved in a variety of other causes as well. This is not to say that Murray was not problematic, he believed mixed race was the ideal ethnic combination and he could be extremely petty. But the book delves into that and also does not hesitate to stress that the Black elite were most often descended from light skinned slaves or always-free families, so they had a small leg up from the beginning.
In addition to Black excellence being unable to save you from racial prejudice, the Murray family also seemed extremely cursed (near Kennedy curse levels) in their private life. They broke down barriers or had a hand in most major historical moments (founded the Alphas, participated in the John Brown raids, helped found the pre NAACP, etc etc) but also face several familial tragedies that strike me as unbearable but they manage to shoulder on. The story runs smoothly and while a family tree would likely have been helpful to flip back to throughout the reading, for the most part it wasn't too difficult to keep everything straight. An inspiring read that reminds you Black people have always strived for achievement and excellence, regardless of the obstacles thrown in their way.
"The single greatest reversal in our history was the disregard of black citizens' newly won rights when Reconstruction was peremptorily abandoned. Worse yet, here was a case where the Constitution spoke loud and clear but was discounted. Worst of all, though we tout our being-first and foremost-a nation of laws, violent crimes such as arson and lynching were ignored or even tacitly condoned. It is a part of our history many Americans do not want to her about, much less own. Yet only by remembering, and determining to respect the rights of all henceforth, can we redeem ourselves as a nation for shameful chapters in our past. Americans recognize, even as James Madison did, that slavery was 'a blot on our Republican character,' but too many think that prospects for African Americans grew continually from the day the Emancipation Proclamation was released, and if progress was slow, well, maybe blacks tended not to be the go-getters, rather preferring to languish in the victim role. The historical reality reveals a temporary rise in status followed by a disastrous suppression, forced by white supremacists and reinforced by government. Blame-the-victim characterizations of black struggles do not take into account the full historical evolution. Unrealized black advancement is America's problem, and our government and society are rightly tasked with fixing it" (411).
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April 28, 2021
This book is...interesting. It clearly lays out that racial equality WAS on the way, but a sudden pro-racist shift occurred in the 1900s. Excellent and an important corrective. But then the author presents grudging Republican acceptance of racist policies as though it were active advocacy, while active advocacy for racism from Democrats is omitted or falsely presented as Republican (E.G.: The author omits Woodrow Wilson's political affiliation entirely!). It feels like the author has loyalties and antipathies which prevent honesty, thus ruining what was otherwise one of the most importantly honest works on turn-of-the-century Black American culture...
October 14, 2020
I listened to this as an audio book and it was great! The reader is fabulous, making the emotional impact of the story more relatable. This book shares the history of several families of black Americans after the Civil War who advanced their lives through self-reliance. It is a part of history I never knew about but I heard the writer speak during a trip with Road Scholar on history in Charlottesville VA and I knew her books would be enlightening and entertaining. The writer told us this book had been optioned to either become a TV series or a movie but I haven't heard any updates. In the meantime I highly recommend this book to those interested in black American history or in unique stories.
October 5, 2020
It took me far too long to finish this book. It is absorbing in many ways, and quite detailed. Some of those details take the reader onto different paths, away from the main story. It's not that those detours are not interesting, it's just that it makes it challenging to keep up with all the characters. But for anyone wanting to know more about the promise and disappointment of Reconstruction, this book is well worth the effort.
August 25, 2017
Before reading this I was unaware of the story of Daniel Murray or the black elite of Washington DC. This is an extremely interesting and valuable work. I wasn't able to give it five stars, because the author, anxious to show the number of black elite, filled the book too full, making it at times too confusing as to identity and how they fit in to the story. Still, this is a superb book.
June 23, 2023
Daniel Alexander Payne Murray was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1852. He was born free in the era of slavery in the United States. His father was a Methodist preacher, and his mother was reported to be of Native heritage. He was educated in Maryland by prominent Black teachers, in both public and private schools. He received a really exceptional education, especially compared to his peers that were born and raised in slavery. He began working at the restaurant that served the Library of Congress, before joining the Library's staff in 1871. He eventually became the Assistant Librarian. He also had many other business dealings, increasing his wealth and societal rank exponentially. He became a leading authority on issues pertaining to Black people and slavery, was asked to speak on these issues many times in the post-Civil War era. This book goes into exceptional detail about his life and contributions to history. Also mentioned was the concept that Black people could not become wealthy or fit into elite society, often spouted by White Supremacists. This look into the lives of free Black people not only challenge, but disprove, those ignorant claims made by some people.
I have to be honest and say that I was absolutely unaware of a society of Black elite in the United States. I will admit that I am severely undereducated on United States history, because I found it boring, and especially on minority issues. I will also blame part of that on the lack of education I received on topics such as this from my Southern school system. I thought this was a wonderfully educational book, and I am very excited to explore this topic more. If you have other books on this topic to suggest to me, send me a message! The only real issue that I had with this book was that it seemed to meander off the main point at times. I have it on Audible, which could have been an issue strictly with that format. It has a lot of pages, and it is not a short listen by any means. When I read or listen to hefty books, I would really like it to not meander. Overall, it was a very good book, and I am pleased with it.
I have to be honest and say that I was absolutely unaware of a society of Black elite in the United States. I will admit that I am severely undereducated on United States history, because I found it boring, and especially on minority issues. I will also blame part of that on the lack of education I received on topics such as this from my Southern school system. I thought this was a wonderfully educational book, and I am very excited to explore this topic more. If you have other books on this topic to suggest to me, send me a message! The only real issue that I had with this book was that it seemed to meander off the main point at times. I have it on Audible, which could have been an issue strictly with that format. It has a lot of pages, and it is not a short listen by any means. When I read or listen to hefty books, I would really like it to not meander. Overall, it was a very good book, and I am pleased with it.
March 22, 2024
Un essai absolument fantastique, une leçon d’Histoire et un important ajout à l’édifice de la construction des États Unis et du rôle des Afro américains dans cette construction.
Un moment de compréhension de la tragédie de la relégation d’une population brillante et investie, promise à l’issue de la guerre civile à un avenir brillant. Avenir trahi par la lâcheté et la compromission des élites blanches incapables de résister au retour de l’idéologie sudiste dans les affaires du pays tout entier. Une tragédie autant qu’une honte.
Que ces histoires, ces hommes et ces femmes, leurs passionnants destins ne fassent pas l’objet de toutes les attentions d’Hollywoood et des plateformes me laissent sans voix. Plutôt que l’affolante liste de niaiseries wakandesques et autres piteuses romances bridgertoniennes, qu’on nous enrichisse avec les destins passionnants des élites réelles, leur rendant enfin la place qu’elles méritent.
Un moment de compréhension de la tragédie de la relégation d’une population brillante et investie, promise à l’issue de la guerre civile à un avenir brillant. Avenir trahi par la lâcheté et la compromission des élites blanches incapables de résister au retour de l’idéologie sudiste dans les affaires du pays tout entier. Une tragédie autant qu’une honte.
Que ces histoires, ces hommes et ces femmes, leurs passionnants destins ne fassent pas l’objet de toutes les attentions d’Hollywoood et des plateformes me laissent sans voix. Plutôt que l’affolante liste de niaiseries wakandesques et autres piteuses romances bridgertoniennes, qu’on nous enrichisse avec les destins passionnants des élites réelles, leur rendant enfin la place qu’elles méritent.
November 3, 2023
Taylor did an exemplary job of weaving a tale of Daniel Murray’s life. Thanks for bringing his life along with so many others to the forefront of history.
August 14, 2017
Mid 19th century Washington DC had a group of elite black families who exhibited certain unique characteristics—they were for the most part college educated, financially well off, broadly accepted into white society, and they occupied leadership positions in Washington society. They dressed conservatively and in good taste, they played croquet during garden parties, practiced archery in their spare time, attended plays and concerts, and they looked forward to the future. Though there were never more than 100 such families, they remained very influential in Washington DC society for nearly 70 years. They had one other characteristic—for the most part they were very light-skinned. Baltimore and Washington in the early 19th century never had a plantation economy and they were more open to emancipation. And there had been more interbreeding than with blacks in the Deep South. They had a head start on the blacks that were to be freed at the end of the Civil War. This head start would soon start to crumble.
The Compromise of 1876 would lead to the start of the crumbling in 1877 with the end of Reconstruction. The Republican Party essentially declared that the US federal government would no longer enforce the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments. They turned their collective backs on the very people they so strongly supported going into the Civil War. Southern states methodically took over state legislatures, replacing the blacks who had made inroads into elected positions, also replacing blacks who had gained office in Congress and the Senate. They seized control of the state courts, and as Democrats reclaimed Federal offices they had held prior to the Civil War, they were able to influence legislation favorable to the southern views on race. It was the start of the age of Jim Crow laws, which would continue well into the 20th century.
The author traces the lives in the families of Daniel Murray and Anna Evans from the mid 1850s through the early 1920s. Elizabeth Dowling Taylor shows how the elections of Grover Cleveland in the 1880s and 1890s were detrimental to all blacks, especially the elites. Employment of blacks in the federal government was reigned in. Plessy v Ferguson 1896 opened the door for discrimination in transportation, interstate commerce, and housing. Voting rights were curtailed. The prevailing mood in Congress, the Senate and the White House was to appease the South, as it still had "grievances" for what they had "suffered" because of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments. Expansion of the Jim Crow laws continued on into the 20th century. Election of southerner Woodrow Wilson in 1912 brought segregation and discrimination to Federal Departments and Agencies. The dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in 1922 was witness to segregated seating for blacks at a most distant location.
It is a maddening chain of events that brought humiliation to millions of black Americans, many who had fought bravely for their country in three wars. Future generations faced fewer prospects for the future than did their grandparents and parents. Taylor makes the assertion that it was a failure of governance, racism, intolerance and prejudice that was to blame. The South committed treason, lost a war, but yet took back the upper hand with a vengeance, while relegating blacks to 2nd class citizenship and worse. Though they had lost the Civil War, time has born out that they were the political victors of the historical phase that followed.
Read
February 19, 2017Interesting research through period newspaper and journals of the reconstruction and post reconstruction eras and the black elite in and around the Capital. Should be read for another side of the fascinating history of a people just released from slavery and others who had been free during the horrible slave era and what they achieved in business, education and social graces.
July 31, 2025
There was a brief period, during Reconstruction, when it looked like America might do right by its Black residents. Racism still existed, obviously, but opportunities were available for both former slaves and those who were born free in ways they hadn’t been before. It is in this moment in time when Daniel Murray, born free in Baltimore, the only child of what was the second marriage for both of his parents, came of age. After getting an education, he followed an older half-brother to the District of Columbia, where he worked in the official Senate restaurant that his brother ran. From there, he got a job in the then-tiny Library of Congress, where he was one of just 12 staffers and the library was bursting at the seams. He spent the rest of his professional life there, rising to become an assistant librarian, and it must have seemed like the sky was the limit. The woman he married, Anna Evans, was also born free and was an Oberlin-raised daughter of an abolitionist activist family. After teaching music to small children, she became a noted advocate of kindergarten programming and successfully lobbied Congress to provide financial support for free kindergarten in the District. The two became quite a power couple in DC’s Black elite scene, which included elected members of Congress, even as they raised a large family. But as their children grew, the world they would inherit became smaller. Republicans, concerned about electoral fortunes, backed away from Reconstruction measures that alienated white voters. Jim Crow laws began creeping northward into the District, which began to segregate facilities like hotels and restaurants that had previously been open to all. African-Americans in Congress lost their seats. Murray’s forward professional progress stalled, his rise arrested by concerns that white men would not accept a Black supervisor. It would take decades for this trend to be reversed, leaving untold numbers of Black citizens who could have been successful in ways that would benefit themselves and their communities stymied, blocked by artificial barriers. I picked up this book because this is by and large an era I am unfamiliar with and I wanted to learn more. I appreciated Elizabeth Dowling Taylor’s focus on one family to illustrate the larger cultural and political forces of the time, it took what could have been abstract and made it very real. Daniel and Anna Murray were interesting and self-made people, smart and ambitious and engaged with civic and community life. Taylor uses excerpts from their correspondence in a way that let me feel like I got bit of a sense for them as people. Unfortunately, Taylor falls into a very common history book trap: she clearly did a ton of research and wanted to cram as many of the details that she found intriguing in the course of that work into her text. What results is a narrative that moves more slowly and less engagingly than it might have, forever taking little tangents about things that aren’t really all that important (like details of church design). It’s a bummer about the pacing and density, because I found myself genuinely curious about the Murrays and compelled by their story, but the book could have done with some focusing. As is, it really wasn’t enjoyable enough to fully recommend.
March 18, 2017
Elizabeth Dowling Taylor bites off a large chunk of American history and chews it well. The subtitle is more accurate than the title: "Daniel Murray and the Story of a Forgotten Era".
Daniel Murray was an assistant librarian at the Library of Congress and a fighter for rights for the African-American people. What made him and his circle unusual was that they were high society. They had parties and balls and cotillions, lived well and traveled, employed people as domestic help, used caterers and hired halls for the parties. They attended University, often Harvard and other top tier institutions. At Presidential Inaugural time they had bashes easily comparable to those given by the Washington establishment; in fact, many of the Black Elite were also part of the Washington establishment. That is the 'forgotten' part of the story; an era existed when Negroes were treated like humans.
What happened is that a base of successful black businessmen and professional people existed before the Civil War; free Negroes. After Emancipation this group grew. Those with ambition and good fortune became successful and enjoyed almost unfettered privilege. But Reconstruction ended, the poisonous Southern political and social miasma reasserted itself, moved North, and began to spread its Jim Crow deceit and hatred. Jobs disappeared, positions were diminished, restaurants and schools and trains and hotels began to become 'separate but equal,' meaning, of course, separate and very unequal.
Dr. Taylor paints us a picture of how the world of the elite worked, and painstakingly builds the life of Daniel Murray. Once the black ties and custom house are in place, she begins to erode the base, ending the main part of the book with Daniel dying in a segregated hospital and buried in a segregated cemetery.
Following that, we are given a tour of the remainder of the families' lives and the disposition of Murray's life's work, as well as an historical analysis in the Epilogue. This is American history without very much distortion, with little of the veil of deceit we so often are forced to digest in tales of The Great American Way.
One added the point: among the Negro community there existed a caste system, sometimes entailing racism as vicious as that fostered by the worst Southern gentlemen. This is noted here, but not explored.
Highly Recommended.
Daniel Murray was an assistant librarian at the Library of Congress and a fighter for rights for the African-American people. What made him and his circle unusual was that they were high society. They had parties and balls and cotillions, lived well and traveled, employed people as domestic help, used caterers and hired halls for the parties. They attended University, often Harvard and other top tier institutions. At Presidential Inaugural time they had bashes easily comparable to those given by the Washington establishment; in fact, many of the Black Elite were also part of the Washington establishment. That is the 'forgotten' part of the story; an era existed when Negroes were treated like humans.
What happened is that a base of successful black businessmen and professional people existed before the Civil War; free Negroes. After Emancipation this group grew. Those with ambition and good fortune became successful and enjoyed almost unfettered privilege. But Reconstruction ended, the poisonous Southern political and social miasma reasserted itself, moved North, and began to spread its Jim Crow deceit and hatred. Jobs disappeared, positions were diminished, restaurants and schools and trains and hotels began to become 'separate but equal,' meaning, of course, separate and very unequal.
Dr. Taylor paints us a picture of how the world of the elite worked, and painstakingly builds the life of Daniel Murray. Once the black ties and custom house are in place, she begins to erode the base, ending the main part of the book with Daniel dying in a segregated hospital and buried in a segregated cemetery.
Following that, we are given a tour of the remainder of the families' lives and the disposition of Murray's life's work, as well as an historical analysis in the Epilogue. This is American history without very much distortion, with little of the veil of deceit we so often are forced to digest in tales of The Great American Way.
One added the point: among the Negro community there existed a caste system, sometimes entailing racism as vicious as that fostered by the worst Southern gentlemen. This is noted here, but not explored.
Highly Recommended.
September 30, 2020
So many details. So very many names and places and minutiae.
That said: wow is this a good book. I cannot believe it has not gotten more press, especially with the focus on BLM and related topics this summer. The Original Black Elite deserves more attention and accolades.
Part biography, part social history, I read this over almost two months simply because it’s dense. The book focuses on Daniel Murray, one of the first black employees of the Library of Congress and, through him, the rising black middle and upper class of Washington, DC and Reconstruction America. Murray gives the narrative a central focus as Taylor goes through the decades and shows how larger policies and cultural shifts – the end of Reconstruction and the welcoming back of the South probably being the biggest – affected individuals. It’s a part of African-American history that hasn’t received nearly enough attention, which is a shame because it’s a rich and complicated era.
My biggest complaints would be that, as already mentioned, the book would have benefited with slightly less information – the sheer amount of it bogs down the narrative – and I would have loved more about Anna Murray, Daniel’s wife and a force in her own right.
A wonderful addition to African-American history. Highly recommended.
That said: wow is this a good book. I cannot believe it has not gotten more press, especially with the focus on BLM and related topics this summer. The Original Black Elite deserves more attention and accolades.
Part biography, part social history, I read this over almost two months simply because it’s dense. The book focuses on Daniel Murray, one of the first black employees of the Library of Congress and, through him, the rising black middle and upper class of Washington, DC and Reconstruction America. Murray gives the narrative a central focus as Taylor goes through the decades and shows how larger policies and cultural shifts – the end of Reconstruction and the welcoming back of the South probably being the biggest – affected individuals. It’s a part of African-American history that hasn’t received nearly enough attention, which is a shame because it’s a rich and complicated era.
My biggest complaints would be that, as already mentioned, the book would have benefited with slightly less information – the sheer amount of it bogs down the narrative – and I would have loved more about Anna Murray, Daniel’s wife and a force in her own right.
A wonderful addition to African-American history. Highly recommended.
July 17, 2025
An interesting, well-researched, yet disturbing book. The author clearly demonstrates that the black community is not monolithic. There is no doubt that the black elite, as she calls them, contributed heavily to the Civil Rights Movement. Yet their colorism continues to discriminate against the masses of black people regardless of education and achievement. Unfortunately, despite its failure to suppress the success of black individuals regardless of skin color, the divisive undercurrent of colorism and discrimination still lingers in some of its social institutions. I struggled to finish the book, hoping that at some point, the author would acknowledge the lingering devastating consequences the psychology of colorism has wrought on the black community in the United States. While recognizing that colorism is a worldwide phenomenon that does not legitimize what it has done and continues to do to those not favored by its discriminatory values.
March 14, 2021
I wanted so much more from a book titled “The Original Black Elite.” I wanted a true history of the “black elite” amongst blacks in 19th and 20th century America. I wanted to know how the black elite got their money, how they lived their affluent lives, how they entertained, how they travelled, how they ate, how they dealt with prejudice thrown their way, and how they themselves were prejudiced against their own race.
This book, though wonderfully researched, talks mostly about one man, Daniel Murray (wholeheartedly worthy of a written biography), and one city, Washington DC. What about the black elite in New York, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, etc. There are so many good books about the Gilded Age, given the title I would have loved for this book to be reference for the entire early black elite.
I would still recommend this book, though.
This book, though wonderfully researched, talks mostly about one man, Daniel Murray (wholeheartedly worthy of a written biography), and one city, Washington DC. What about the black elite in New York, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, etc. There are so many good books about the Gilded Age, given the title I would have loved for this book to be reference for the entire early black elite.
I would still recommend this book, though.
August 20, 2024
This history, which uses the life of Daniel Murray as a way to explore the lives of upper-class Black Americans in the 19th and early 20th centuries, is one I wish had been included in my American history courses. Much about the story is familiar, but also different - Daniel Murray was born free, but only a generation removed from slavery and managed to build a career as a librarian and intellectual as well as a small fortune. He moved in a world of Black families not unlike himself, who lived in fashionable neighborhoods, sent their children to universities, and funded charities. Murray also had the misfortune of living at a time that opened up opportunities to Black men like himself and then closed them off, as Jim Crow laws took affect. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in post-Civil War American history.
January 24, 2024
What I like best about this book is how Elizabeth Dowling Taylor used Daniel Murray as an avatar of a larger group - the Black elite of the late 19th and early 20th century, particularly in Washington - that is largely ignored in traditional tellings of American history. While I wasn't gripped by the ins and outs of the Washington social scene, I don't think the book gets too bogged down in these details; Taylor wisely uses them as evidence of larger, more significant ideas. Her epilogue is particularly strong in explaining why this story matters, in that it highlights the circuitous and uncertain path that history has taken. It filled in gaps in my historical knowledge, and broadens my sense of Black life at the turn of the century.
August 26, 2017
The Forgotten Era - Reconstruction abandoned by Jim Crow and white Supremacists
This is a portrait of an era of US history, a period of time that has been largely overlooked by many scholars and authors but one that is important to our fuller understanding of our nation.
Follow Daniel and Anna Murray as they make a life in Washington, D.C. during a very crucial period in the US. And sadly, witness the rise of Jim Crow and white supremacy.
I found the book to be truly enlightening; a must-read for anyone wishing for a better understanding of Washington's history and the foundational contributions made by so many great black Americans.
This is a portrait of an era of US history, a period of time that has been largely overlooked by many scholars and authors but one that is important to our fuller understanding of our nation.
Follow Daniel and Anna Murray as they make a life in Washington, D.C. during a very crucial period in the US. And sadly, witness the rise of Jim Crow and white supremacy.
I found the book to be truly enlightening; a must-read for anyone wishing for a better understanding of Washington's history and the foundational contributions made by so many great black Americans.
August 22, 2019
This is a rather informative book, written from the perspective of (seemingly) one person's account and how they or their family viewed society at the time. The insight felt as though you had to "know" what the writer was speaking of in order to really appreciate the information and stories; otherwise, at times it came off as condescending. It had enough of historical background that I continued to read it. There is a similar book "Our Kind of People" that has the same look and field. This book is a very good read especially for those that don't believe or even know that Black people had money, prestige, and position.
February 24, 2021
This book tells the story of upwardly mobile African Americans who prospered and formed their own upper class in Washington, DC during Reconstruction and then how it declined as Jim Crow laws became the rule in the United States.
The book uses one family, that of Daniel Murray (1851 - 1925) to illustrate how the success of this group of African-Americans became regarded as a threat to the larger white society and how laws (as well as institutional norms) were erected to hold them back and to assure the superiority of white Americans.
They more I read books about black history in this country, the more I wonder why white people in this country are so insecure and afraid
The book uses one family, that of Daniel Murray (1851 - 1925) to illustrate how the success of this group of African-Americans became regarded as a threat to the larger white society and how laws (as well as institutional norms) were erected to hold them back and to assure the superiority of white Americans.
They more I read books about black history in this country, the more I wonder why white people in this country are so insecure and afraid
April 14, 2024
Never Forget the Struggle for Being Black
The original Black Elite in Washington D.C. and elsewhere all strived to better their place life and show white America that they belonged and deserved to exercise the rights granted them in the Constitution. Many were highly educated or held important positions or had talents that white America would not accept after Reconstruction. But, in spite of their struggle they kept refusing to accept rejection and black people today are better for it. So, never forget the struggle others endured to make life better for us and help make life better for the next generation.
The original Black Elite in Washington D.C. and elsewhere all strived to better their place life and show white America that they belonged and deserved to exercise the rights granted them in the Constitution. Many were highly educated or held important positions or had talents that white America would not accept after Reconstruction. But, in spite of their struggle they kept refusing to accept rejection and black people today are better for it. So, never forget the struggle others endured to make life better for us and help make life better for the next generation.
August 29, 2021
The Original Black Elite: Daniel Murray and the Story of a Forgotten Era
by Elizabeth Dowling Taylor
(Hardcover) and audio edition of 14 cd's
Contents: Prologue -- Up and coming -- The good wife -- The Black elite -- The good life -- The good citizen -- Activist couple -- Backsliding -- Confronting lost ground -- National Afro-American Council -- Black history pioneer -- Courting controversy -- Struggling -- Father and sons -- Disillusioned -- Life's work -- Ironic fruits -- New Negro/Old cit -- Epilogue.
by Elizabeth Dowling Taylor
(Hardcover) and audio edition of 14 cd's
Contents: Prologue -- Up and coming -- The good wife -- The Black elite -- The good life -- The good citizen -- Activist couple -- Backsliding -- Confronting lost ground -- National Afro-American Council -- Black history pioneer -- Courting controversy -- Struggling -- Father and sons -- Disillusioned -- Life's work -- Ironic fruits -- New Negro/Old cit -- Epilogue.
August 9, 2022
This is another critical contribution to the study and variety of black life during a severely overlooked period in American history; Reconstruction. Taylor does a wonderful job of connecting the vast network of the “who’s who” in Black America at the time. This biographical sketch of a period using Murray as a center was a daunting task but executed masterfully. This voluminous work shows how history is a living breathing force that we’re all actively (knowingly or unknowingly) contributing to with each day of our lives.
February 21, 2018
I liked the book. It drags at some parts but it is really an enlightening book for a history that we know very little about. Had some great conversations regarding the division between the light and darker skin brothers and sisters in our community and how to bridge those gaps. All in all it’s a good book a shy off great.
March 8, 2021
Necesary reading for understanding the post Civil War success of Black Americans until Jim Crow laws and voter suppression served to remove Black elected officials. This is an era commonly neglected in history textbooks. Taylor offers clear portraits and details of lives that bring the era to life. Well-worth reading.
March 18, 2021
Spectacular
I loved every bit of this book. I enjoyed the story of the Murray's and how that entire era of black were so motivated to be successful. I was amazed to find out how Langston Hughes came from that kinship of black elites that led the way from Oberlin to the Harlem Reconnaissance and beyond.
I loved every bit of this book. I enjoyed the story of the Murray's and how that entire era of black were so motivated to be successful. I was amazed to find out how Langston Hughes came from that kinship of black elites that led the way from Oberlin to the Harlem Reconnaissance and beyond.
July 26, 2024
A look at the life of a black elite family in Washington during the post-Reconstruction Era.
This audiobook took about 4 years to get through, but it ended up being a great companion to Lawrence Otis Graham’s Our Kind of People. It really gives a good look at the country’s formative attempts at an integrated society looked like. As well as its violent regression into Jim Crow.
This audiobook took about 4 years to get through, but it ended up being a great companion to Lawrence Otis Graham’s Our Kind of People. It really gives a good look at the country’s formative attempts at an integrated society looked like. As well as its violent regression into Jim Crow.
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