8 Things You Should Know About Martin R. Delany, the Father of Black Nationalism

Early Life Journalist, abolitionist, physician and editor, Martin Robison Delany ( May 6, 1812- Jan. 24, 1885) was born free in Charles Town, Virginia. Delany's mother believed that reading and writing was vital to the success of her children, but Virginia prohibited the education of Black people, so she moved her children to Pennsylvania, a "free state." At 19, Delany walked 160 miles from Pittsburgh to Bethel Church School for Blacks and Jefferson College to learn Latin, Greek, and the Classics. He also studied medicine. Days in Pittsburgh As a young adult, Delany was active in multiple movements ranging from the abolition of slavery, to the temperance movement and the back to Africa movement. As an abolitionist, he helped form the Young Men's Literary and Moral Reform Society and the Vigilance Committee to help relocate previously enslaved Black people and to teach them how to read. He was doing these things after Nat Turner's Rebellion which made reading illegal for enslaved people. In 1833, Delany opened up his own medical practice specializing in leeches and cupping. A decade later, he also started his own newspaper called, The Mystery. The paper focused on topics related to the freedom of Black people and ideas about a "Black Israel" in Africa. Delany and Douglass Before there was Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois debating on the subject of Black progress, there were Delany and Frederick Douglass. The two men were partners and contemporaries working on Douglass' The North Star from 1847-1852. Douglass was so impressed by Delany's writing in The Mystery, that he was hired as a writer. The two bumped heads over how Black people should prosper in the country. Delany was a firm believer in emigration to Africa while Douglass believed that Black people should stay in the U.S. because Blacks had a equal stake as whites. According to University of North Carolina Press, "though each saw himself as the single best representative of his race, Douglass has been accorded that role by history--while Delany has suffered a fate typical of the black separatist: marginalization." Harvard Medical School In 1850, Delany was still interested in medicine, so he entered Harvard Medical School. After serving as an apprentice under many white abolitionist doctors, he wanted a more formal education that they could not give to him. Delany was one of three Black med students who broke down racial barriers but he was only there for one term after enduring extreme racial tension. Search for the Black Israel After his experience at Harvard, Delany was steadfast in his belief that Black people should return to Africa. In the mid-1850s, he went to Nigeria to buy land for possible settlement. This was around the time the American Colonization Society was doing the exact same thing. Delany's expedition is different because slave owners and white abolitionists are not leading the charge. He truly believed that America would not be a viable option for Black people, so he also looked into land options in Central America and Canada. During this time he wrote about his travels in the book, Blake or the Huts of America in 1859. Black Regiments By 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862 made Delany soften his stance on emigration. When the idea of Black soldiers joining the fight as Union soldiers arose, Douglass and Delany both agreed and advocated for the chance to fight for freedom. "The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was the first military unit consisting of Black soldiers to be raised in the North during the Civil War," Masshist.org explains. "Prior to 1863, no concerted effort was made to recruit black troops as Union soldiers." Delany was so committed to the regiment that his own son Toussaint L'Ouverture Delany, was recruited. Highest Ranking Black Soldier In a meeting with President Abraham Lincoln, Delany wanted Black soldiers to have the opportunity to become leaders within the military. Lincoln took Delany's advice and made him the highest ranking Black officer in the military at that time. As major in the 104th Regiment, he made history once more. Legacy of Black Pride and Excellence Frederick Douglass' famous quote about Delany epitomized their relationship and Delany's beliefs. In his life, Delany achieved everything a Black man could in 19th century America. He was an abolitionist, judge, politician, military officer, doctor, the first African-American explorer in Africa, journalist and novelist. However, he wanted all Black people to be free. He saw that this nation would not provide the necessary environment to harvest the type of freedom Black people deserved. Africa was always his greatest goal and it was that way until his death.

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