Coalition Rule in Danville

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

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...

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