Merze Tate: Imperialism and the White Man’s Blunders

• In Event: The Howard School of International Affairs: Theory and Practice

Abstract

Merze Tate, diplomatic historian and professor in the Department of History at Howard University from 1942-1977, was the only female in the original cohort of the Howard School, and probably the least known of the Howard scholars.  This was despite the fact that she produced five books and numerous articles on subjects ranging from nuclear disarmament, to African railways, to Hawaiian annexation and the monarchy.    In addition, the papers she bequeathed to Howard University hold no less than another four nearly complete, unpublished book length manuscripts on Imperialism, Colonial Railways and Empire in Africa, and extensions of her work on the Pacific region, including expansionist efforts by Australia and New Zealand. 

This paper will focus on Tate’s writings on Imperialism, and most interestingly her analysis of the consequences of imperialism on white civilization and democratic institutions and norms.  Of particular interest is her unpublished manuscript which she tentatively titled “The White Man’s Blunders: The Twentieth Century Sequel to the White Man’s Burden”.  She explained, “this is a critique of ‘the White Man’s Burden’ and an analytical treatment of the consequences of assuming that burden, written not from the point of view of an African or an Asiatic but from that of an American student of international relations examining the white man’s civilization.”  

Although this manuscript never came to print, she spent her career at Howard lecturing and teaching a number of courses that would allow her to explore the themes of nationalism, imperialism, Europe since 1870, and the partition and exploitation of Africa.  

In unpacking the political motivations of imperialism, Tate makes clear that race was central to the identity of Western political elites, and inextricably linked to the Western notion of civilization.  Interestingly, a notable angle of her analysis is the role of a racist, irresponsible, “Jingo” press in aiding and abetting imperialist ambitions. In this regard Tate’s work provides a deep historical analysis of the interdependence between imperialism and racism, and the fault lines they expose in democratic institutions.

Author

• Krista Johnson, Howard University