"For We are Making History": John W. Bolts and Archival Memory in South Carolina

Event Type

Presentation

Location

EHFA 136

Start Date

5-3-2020 9:00 AM

End Date

5-3-2020 10:20 AM

Description

McLaurin's research explores the political life of Plantersville-born educator and politician John William Bolts. In 1901, during his last term in the South Carolina House of Representatives, Bolts proposed an amendment to benefit the enslaved people who were forced to work for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. In his supporting speech, Bolts said: "It gives me great pleasure to subscribe to anything that will increase the honor of South Carolina and maintain her integrity for wise and impartial legislation; for we are making history not only for the present, but for tomorrow." During his two terms, Bolts advocated for the civil rights of African Americans. Current historiography insufficiently captures his political contributions, even as his own words call to us from the past to remember their significance. This is due in part to the limitations of archival material produced at a time when the white supremacist power structure in South Carolina intended to remake itself in reaction to the successes of black politicians during the Reconstruction era. What methodologies can we use to best understand the "history making" of an exceptional Gullah Geechee leader like John W. Bolts when the current archival material is fragmented and at times contradictory? McLaurin's paper investigates the current state of archival memory related to Bolts. It argues for a revision of his story as it currently lives in the historical record and acknowledges the need for a nuanced understanding of the constraints and possibilities that the archive presents.

Comments

Theme: Reconstruction/Making Culture; Moderator: Becky Childs, Coastal Carolina University

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Mar 5th, 9:00 AM Mar 5th, 10:20 AM

"For We are Making History": John W. Bolts and Archival Memory in South Carolina

EHFA 136

McLaurin's research explores the political life of Plantersville-born educator and politician John William Bolts. In 1901, during his last term in the South Carolina House of Representatives, Bolts proposed an amendment to benefit the enslaved people who were forced to work for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. In his supporting speech, Bolts said: "It gives me great pleasure to subscribe to anything that will increase the honor of South Carolina and maintain her integrity for wise and impartial legislation; for we are making history not only for the present, but for tomorrow." During his two terms, Bolts advocated for the civil rights of African Americans. Current historiography insufficiently captures his political contributions, even as his own words call to us from the past to remember their significance. This is due in part to the limitations of archival material produced at a time when the white supremacist power structure in South Carolina intended to remake itself in reaction to the successes of black politicians during the Reconstruction era. What methodologies can we use to best understand the "history making" of an exceptional Gullah Geechee leader like John W. Bolts when the current archival material is fragmented and at times contradictory? McLaurin's paper investigates the current state of archival memory related to Bolts. It argues for a revision of his story as it currently lives in the historical record and acknowledges the need for a nuanced understanding of the constraints and possibilities that the archive presents.