Archibald Grimke
Encyclopedia
Archibald Henry Grimké was an American lawyer
, intellectual, journalist, diplomat and community leader in the 19th and early 20th century. He was a graduate of Lincoln University
and Harvard Law School
, American Consul to the Dominican Republic
from 1894–1898, and a co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) in 1909.
in 1849. He was the eldest of three sons of Nancy Weston, an enslaved woman of European and African descent. She was described in one account as the most beautiful black woman in Charleston. Their father was her (and their) master Henry W. Grimké, of a prominent, large slaveholding family in Charleston. His father and relatives were active in political and social circles. After becoming a widower, Henry Grimké moved with Nancy Weston to his plantation outside Charleston in order to live with her without social oversight. They appeared to have a caring relationship, Grimke freed Nancy or his children: Archibald, Francis and John (born a couple of months after his father's death), before his death, in his will. When the boys were young, he taught them and Nancy to read and write. He entrusted them in his will to his son Montague to be treated as "family".
Montague overturned his father's will and separated the boys from their mother, first taking Archibald as a boy to serve him. Later he hired out Archibald and Francis, both of whom rebelled. He never provided well for them or their mother.
By the time of Henry's relationship with Weston and births of their children, two of his sisters had been gone from Charleston for years, as they had become abolitionists. Sarah and Angelina, were collectively known as the Grimké sisters
, active as writers and speakers in northern abolitionist circles. They lived and worked in New Jersey
and Massachusetts
for years.
When the Grimke sisters discovered their brothers' children, the sisters provided for their nephews' education and tried to guide them, as well as introduce them to their abolitionist circles. Both Archibald and Francis attended Lincoln University after preparatory study, where their teachers told the sisters of the boys' quick learning and brilliance. The professors found them extraordinary students. They each graduated in 1870.
. He lived and worked in the Boston
area most of his career. Archibald was involved in the early NAACP, but had conflicts with men like Booker T Washington. Grimke believed in Democratic Capitalism as a way that former slaves could achieve independence and true freedom.
Francis J. Grimké
did graduate work at Princeton Theological Seminary
and became an ordained Presbyterian minister. He married abolitionist and diarist Charlotte Forten
, of the prominent Philadelphia black abolitionist family. He headed the 15th Street Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, for more than 40 years. Francis died in 1939.
John did not stay in school. He went to Florida and cut off from the Grimké families. He died in 1918.
woman, with whom he had one daughter Angelina Weld Grimké
. Although their marriage began with great devotion, they separated while their daughter was young. Stanley returned to her home in the Midwest and left Angelina with her father.
Angelina Grimké lived with her uncle Francis and aunt Charlotte in Washington, DC for years while her father was consul in the Dominican Republic. She became a teacher and writer in Washington, DC. In addition to lesbian poetry, Angelina Grimké wrote Rachel, an early play to protest lynching
and one of the first plays by an African American considered part of the Harlem Renaissance
.
The elder Grimké fell ill in 1928, by which time he was living in Washington, DC with his daughter and brother Francis, then a widower. They cared for him until his death in 1930.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, intellectual, journalist, diplomat and community leader in the 19th and early 20th century. He was a graduate of Lincoln University
Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)
Lincoln University is the United States' first degree-granting historically black university. It is located near the town of Oxford in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. The university also hosts a Center for Graduate Studies in the City of Philadelphia. Lincoln University provides...
and Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, American Consul to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
from 1894–1898, and a co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
(NAACP) in 1909.
Early life and education
Grimké was born near Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
in 1849. He was the eldest of three sons of Nancy Weston, an enslaved woman of European and African descent. She was described in one account as the most beautiful black woman in Charleston. Their father was her (and their) master Henry W. Grimké, of a prominent, large slaveholding family in Charleston. His father and relatives were active in political and social circles. After becoming a widower, Henry Grimké moved with Nancy Weston to his plantation outside Charleston in order to live with her without social oversight. They appeared to have a caring relationship, Grimke freed Nancy or his children: Archibald, Francis and John (born a couple of months after his father's death), before his death, in his will. When the boys were young, he taught them and Nancy to read and write. He entrusted them in his will to his son Montague to be treated as "family".
Montague overturned his father's will and separated the boys from their mother, first taking Archibald as a boy to serve him. Later he hired out Archibald and Francis, both of whom rebelled. He never provided well for them or their mother.
By the time of Henry's relationship with Weston and births of their children, two of his sisters had been gone from Charleston for years, as they had become abolitionists. Sarah and Angelina, were collectively known as the Grimké sisters
Grimké sisters
Sarah Grimké and Angelina Grimké , known as the Grimké sisters, were 19th-century American Quakers, educators and writers who were early advocates of abolitionism and women's rights....
, active as writers and speakers in northern abolitionist circles. They lived and worked in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
for years.
When the Grimke sisters discovered their brothers' children, the sisters provided for their nephews' education and tried to guide them, as well as introduce them to their abolitionist circles. Both Archibald and Francis attended Lincoln University after preparatory study, where their teachers told the sisters of the boys' quick learning and brilliance. The professors found them extraordinary students. They each graduated in 1870.
Career
Archibald Grimké went on to study law at Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He lived and worked in the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
area most of his career. Archibald was involved in the early NAACP, but had conflicts with men like Booker T Washington. Grimke believed in Democratic Capitalism as a way that former slaves could achieve independence and true freedom.
Francis J. Grimké
Francis J. Grimké
Francis James Grimké was a Presbyterian minister who was prominent in working for equal rights for African Americans...
did graduate work at Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
and became an ordained Presbyterian minister. He married abolitionist and diarist Charlotte Forten
Charlotte Forten Grimké
Charlotte Louise Bridges Forten Grimké was an African-American anti-slavery activist, poet, and educator.-Biography:...
, of the prominent Philadelphia black abolitionist family. He headed the 15th Street Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, for more than 40 years. Francis died in 1939.
John did not stay in school. He went to Florida and cut off from the Grimké families. He died in 1918.
Marriage and family
While practicing law in Boston, Massachusetts, Archibald Grimké married Sarah Stanley, a whiteCaucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
woman, with whom he had one daughter Angelina Weld Grimké
Angelina Weld Grimke
Angelina Weld Grimké was an African-American journalist, teacher, playwright and poet who was part of the Harlem Renaissance and was one of the first African-American women to have a play performed.- Biography :...
. Although their marriage began with great devotion, they separated while their daughter was young. Stanley returned to her home in the Midwest and left Angelina with her father.
Angelina Grimké lived with her uncle Francis and aunt Charlotte in Washington, DC for years while her father was consul in the Dominican Republic. She became a teacher and writer in Washington, DC. In addition to lesbian poetry, Angelina Grimké wrote Rachel, an early play to protest lynching
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
and one of the first plays by an African American considered part of the Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
.
The elder Grimké fell ill in 1928, by which time he was living in Washington, DC with his daughter and brother Francis, then a widower. They cared for him until his death in 1930.