CONTENT WARNING
Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation.
Context
The Richmond Planet was first published in 1882, 17 years after the end of the Civil War. The founding members the newspaper met in an upper room of the Swan Tavern located near the corner of Third and Broad streets. The thirteen men (James H. Hayes, James H. Johnston, E.R. Carter, Walter Fitzhugh, Henry Hucles, Albert V. Norrell, Benjamin A. Graves, James E. Merriweather, Edward A. Randolph, William H. Andrews and Reuben T. Hill) were former slaves who pooled their meager resources and started America's oldest Black newspaper. By 1904, the Richmond Planet had reached a weekly circulation of 4,200. The paper quickly gained a reputation as a staunch defender of the African American community and a voice against racial injustice. The stories in the paper covered local, national, and international news. However, the paper become known for focusing on segregation, the actions of the Ku Klux Klan, voting rights, and occurrences of lynching. The Richmond Planet became one the South’s most forceful Black voices. The Planet thus reached far beyond Richmond, achieving prominence—and a degree of notoriety—throughout the South.
This editorial cartoon by Geo. H. Ben Johnson, which appeared in 1919, reflects how many in the African American felt about the differences between the North and the South at the beginning of the 20th Century. One side of a fence is presented as a democratic and tolerant of multiculturalism. The other side of the fence, identified as the South, is depicted as being intolerant and a place of inequity for those who are not white. The themes of equity and injustice were common throughout the run of the Richmond Planet.
Citation: Johnson, H. Ben. At the Mercy of the Deluge. The Richmond Planet, July 19, 1919, Library of Virginia.
Standards
VS.8 VS.9, USII.1 USII.4, CE.1 VUS.8, VUS.10 GOVT.11
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Look at It: Look at the political cartoon, what phrases or words stand out? What may be the purpose of the political cartoon?
Post Activities
Form an Opinion: Create a hypothesis about the intent behind the document and how it was used. What was Johnson’s opinion of the Southern policies at the time?
Artistic Exploration: Look at the editorial cartoon carefully. What are some of the specific issues captured by the artist in "At the Mercy of the Deluge"? Be specific.