Coalition Rule in Danville: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A pamphlet copy, black print on paper, of "Coalition Rule in Danville," a published letter commonly referred to as "The Danville Circular." The letter is addressed to "the Citizens of the Southwest and Valley of Virginia," and signed in type by 28 businessmen of Danville. The document makes general complaints of the presence of African Americans in local politics; the dominance of the local Readjuster Party, which included African Americans in the governing coalition; and the behavior of African Americans in the streets of Danville, Virginia. Specific complaints include "the injustice and humiliation to which our white people have been subjected and are daily undergoing by the domination and misrule of the radical or negro party" and that "Out of nine policemen--four negroes were chosen--something before that time unknown to the history of the town... Of the 24 stalls and stands at the market place, 20 are rented out by the council to the negroes... It is a very common practice for the negroes who are employed about our houses to allude to white ladies and gentlemen as men and women." Black residents and children are portrayed as an unfair tax burden on white residents, and the creation of city council wards is presented as a power grab on behalf of the Black population. The document alleges plans to permanently usurp white political power by incorporating the settlement of Jacksonville into the town charter. The screed ends by calling for the election of Conservative-Democratic candidates for the legislature. Four printed pages on one folded sheet. Minor wear and stains overall.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1883
• Published by: Unidentified
• Subject of: William Mahone, 1826 - 1895
• Signed by: W. T. Clark
• Signed by: James W. Bruce
• Signed by: C. M. Hendrick
• Signed by: J. G. Covington
• Signed by: Redd & Jordan
• Signed by: Daniel Coleman
• Type: circular letters
• Type: pamphlets
• Medium: ink on paper (fiber product)
• Dimensions: H x W: 18 1/8 × 5 13/16 in. (46 × 14.8 cm)
• Place depicted: Danville, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: American South
• Topic: Politics
• Topic: Race relations
• Topic: Race riots
• Topic: Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
• Topic: White supremacy movements
• Object number: 2019.28.38.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: Public domain Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.