Alexander Crummell's The Negro As A Source Of Conservative Power

Black thinkers have emerged throughout the troubled history of our nation despite the God-like presence in the opposition of their success. Alexander Crummell is one of these thinkers who drove through the oppressive forces of whiteness. In his writings, “Destiny and Race”, Crummell writes a section solely about “The Negro As a Source of Conservative Power”. Crummell summarizes the glaring problems of American society during this time and explains the reasons negroes are the chosen people to save America from it’s impending undoing.
Crummell exposes the separation and vilification between the classes, an unraveling of the law, and the rising chaos of the political system as there are cracks in American Society that the negroes are best suited to mend. The animosity between the classes Crummell describes how it stems from the labor revolution between the workers and their superiors. He continues to explain his lack of sympathy for the movement because the white male is most

privileged person in the world. Crummell transitions to discussing the effect of law in the American society, specifically the extent of corruption and recklessness the justice system has disintegrated to. He points out the inconsistencies between the law and those intended to govern it including judges, juries and those who create state law. Following his argument regarding the law and those who are sworn to protect it, Crummell ends his list of grievances with America by discussing the erosion of passion over the political spectrum and the resulting dissipation of integrity. He claims the government needs to examine its actions and reroot them in the governing of God.
Throughout this listing of the issues America has acquired over the years, there are spaces filled by the notion of blacks as the role models for what America needs to be. While I personally do not agree with serving a system speared to undermine your existence, Crummell seems to provide several reasons in the opposition.
He begins with instructions for black people to distance themselves from the growing labor revolutions. The revolution has no basis in truth and knowledge so the black population need not concern themselves with it. Rather they should serve as leaders for the trajectory of America. Crummell proceeds to explain the purity of the black race. He states that the black people of the time are the only ones who have plain common sense and have not been poisoned with the thoughts of socialism, communism, revolution and treason. The blacks are those who can bring religious training and morality to the whites. Crummell then explains how blacks have become witnesses to a spectacle known as white political partisanship. This provided a necessary education to the black people of the time. He believes that the excessive unholiness exhibited by the whites serves as an example of how not to govern yourselves and the country you reside in.
After his initial arguments woven into the piece, Crummell anticipates questions of his perspective. He accounts for questions regarding “saving” America even though the whites have, in their own wickedness, made America virtually unlivable for the blacks.
In a similar manner to his statements of the problems, Crummell recounts his reasons for being a savior to white “civilization”.

In his opinion, as citizens of America and nowhere else, the blacks have a Christian and personal duty to give to a system that they reap benefits from. The benefits I fail to see in retrospect are irrelevant in this time period, because this is purely means of survival. Crummell feels that the system and his existence are co-dependent and in destroying the almighty power of whiteness, he cuts out his own life force. He continues to mention the law-abiding nature of black people. While this may be true, the fact cannot be ignored that these laws are to be abided but not created by all people. Crummell concludes his essay by invoking the power of God once again. He believes that in the end God will lead the blacks to their intended rank of society. The God Crummell is speaking of has a white hand and the savior already contains life in the reigning power of

whiteness.