Frederick Douglass one-page handwritten letter to the lawyer and pioneering civil rights activist … [+]
RR auction
There’s nothing like letters to reveal one’s innermost thoughts, and RR Auction’s first sale in Boston in 2021 highlights letters from civil rights icons, political figures and social activists. Missives by Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are included in this fine autograph and artifact auction that began December 18. Online bids run until January 13th.
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A one-page handwritten letter from Frederick Douglass to lawyer and pioneering civil rights activist Albion Tourgee, who would later try the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson case, is valued at over $ 15,000 and is one of the highlights of the auction. It says in part: “My appointment is another step on the way up and I am glad that I can relate to it.”
At that point, President Rutherford B. Hayes had just taken office and made Douglass Marshal of the United States for the District of Columbia. Douglass accepted the commission and became the first African American to be ratified for president by the US Senate. Douglass recognized this not only as a personal achievement, but as “another step on the way up” and remained in that position until 1881.
A one-page letter on Dexter Avenue Baptist Church letterhead from Martin Luther King Jr. to Ms. Edmund Mahon is estimated at over $ 12,000. From January 12, 1959 it reads in its entirety:
“Thank you for your very kind letter and your words of encouragement on my book Stride Toward Freedom. This book is simply my humble attempt at applying Christian principles to the difficult problem of racial injustice that our nation faces. I hope that this will, in some way, contribute to a peaceful solution to this problem. It is certainly gratifying to know that you found this book useful. I was especially pleased to know that you are from Alabama and that your views on this matter are thoroughly Christian. Let us continue to hope and pray that the Spirit of Christ will reign in our midst and that we can rise from the darkness of the inhumanity of man to man at the dawn of freedom and justice for all. “
King’s first book, Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story, tells the planning, events, and aftermath of the first successful large-scale application of nonviolent resistance, the year-long bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. The book was published in 1958.
Another notable lot is the four-page letter from Malcolm X signed “Malcolm X” dated March 25, 1959, valued at over $ 40,000. It was written to his mentor and teacher Elijah Muhammad and touches on intimate topics relating to his wife and his marriage. In it, Malcolm X discusses his deepest feelings and asks Elijah Muhammad for guidance and help. Malcolm X is such a legendary figure in the civil rights movement, and this letter is a touching reminder of the very human identity behind the icon.
This sale also includes documents from Abraham Lincoln, a significant signature from Barack Obama and several autographs from Nelson Mandela. Other memorable documents include a letter from F. Scott Fitzgerald on This Side of Paradise, a first edition of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, a rare Al Capone document, and an extremely rare check signed not just once but twice by Nikola Tesla .
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