But One Race: The Life of Robert Purvis

by Margaret Hope Bacon

Born in South Carolina to a wealthy white father and mixed race mother, Robert Purvis (1810-1898) was one of the nineteenth century's leading black abolitionists and orators. In this first biography of Purvis, Margaret Hope Bacon uses his eloquent and often fierce speeches to provide a glimpse into the life of a passionate and distinguished man, intimately involved with a wide range of major reform movements, including abolition, civil rights, Underground Railroad activism, women's rights, Irish Home Rule, Native American rights, and prison reform. Citing his role in developing the Philadelphia Vigilant Committee, an all black organization that helped escaped slaves secure passage to the North, the New York Times described Purvis at the time of his death as the president of the Underground Railroad. Voicing his opposition to a decision by the state of Pennsylvania to disenfranchise black voters in 1838, Purvis declared "there is but one race, the human race." But One Race is the dramatic story of one of the most important figures of his time.

Genres: History

293 pages, Hardcover

First published January 18, 2007

Reviews

[Joseph Adelizzi, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve recently reread my way through Albert Camus. One idea that stuck with me is Camus’ contention that Sisyphus, the poor bastard sentenced to forever try to push a boulder to the top of a hill when neither the boulder nor the hill desired that spatial arrangement, was happy. The life of Robert Purvis, as recounted by Margaret Hope Bacon in her book But One Race, reminded me of Sisyphus and his struggles, and I subsequently wondered if Purvis was happy.

I first “met” Robert Purvis about thirty years ago when I took my son to a meeting at a jiu-jitsu hall to sign up for something or other. Outside the hall was a blue and orange historical marker explaining the hall was built by one Robert Purvis, who owned the land the hall was on as well as the surrounding roughly 40 acres. The pithy plaque mentioned Purvis was a black man and was instrumental in the early days of the underground railroad, and Purvis had built that hall not for martial arts but as a place where abolition could be discussed. I was intrigued by Purvis, but in the days before I accepted The Internet, finding additional information on him required more time and effort than I had to give.

Robert Purvis was a black man, a black man who looked white to anyone who didn't know him well. He never denied or hid from his blackness, often proclaiming it loudly, nor did he ever hide behind his whiteness. His father was a successful businessman who left his family well-situated upon his death, and Robert invested his inheritance such that his fortunes grew. He had friends in both the white and black communities, at times moving with such a facility between the two races one can understand how “there is but one race” became his mantra. Convincing others of the veracity of that mantra became his life’s work and, unfortunately(?), his sisyphean boulder.

Imagine being part of a group, then all of a sudden the group members toss you aside because, even though you haven’t changed one iota, they suddenly see you from a different perspective. Surely I would kick the dust of that group from my sandals and move on. But Robert Purvis kept shouldering that boulder, rolling it up that hill. And time after time he thought he was close to the summit. And time after time that boulder rolled back down. Lesser men and women would walk away from that boulder, enjoy their station. Not Purvis.

With the idea of Purvis as a modern Sisyphus now firmly in mind, I remembered Camus’ contention that Sisyphus was happy. Was Purvis happy in the face of all the frustration, all the “almost theres,” all the relentless injustices not just towards him but towards an entire complexion of people? But those repetitive failures weren’t Purvis’ failures - they were society’s. Purvis held a strong belief within an environment of horrific absurdities, lived according to his belief, did everything in his power to make his belief become commonplace, and remained convinced victory was inevitable.

One must imagine Robert Purvis happy.

[Kathleen Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one of the forgotten heroes of history. We always hear of Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglas. This man was very active in the Abolitionist movement in the pre-Civil War.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book (and liked Purvis much more after reading it). Unfortunately Purvis didn't leave behind many letters/journals/etc., so too much of this biography was drawn from his public speeches and various legal documents (titles/deeds/wills)and it is difficult to get a handle on what he was actually thinking. I would have also liked to see more on his wife, but alas she left fewer records behind than her husband.