Forgotten American history
I wanted to share with your readers the following short account of a piece of American history that has long been forgotten.
In 1864, the American Civil War was in full force. President Lincoln was obviously preoccupied with grave concerns. General Grant’s troops had been suffering massive casualties.
In June of that year, a group of Black men, residents of Washington, D.C., knocked on the door of the White House and presented a petition to the commander-in-chief.
Their spokesman, Gabriel Coakley, informed the president that he represented a group of Catholics who hoped to obtain permission to hold a lawn party on the White House grounds to raise money to build a Catholic church in Washington which would serve the black Catholic population in the nation’s capital.
Lincoln accepted the petition and ultimately gave it his signature. He told Coakley that he hoped the event would be a success.
And so, on July 4, 1864, a strawberry festival was held on the White House lawn. Music was played and schoolchildren gave romantic and patriotic recitations. The gathering was a mixture of both black and white Catholics.
The weather was cool and pleasant for that time of the year and approximately 1,500 people attended.
Lincoln ensured the success of the event by attending in person along with his wife and most of his cabinet.
The affair raised over $1,200, a large sum at that time, enough to build the church which was named after Martin De Porres, a lay Dominican of African and Spanish descendant who had been beatified three decades earlier.
The new place of worship quickly attracted a large number of Black Catholics, but also a sizable number of those who were white. A few years later, the church was replaced by St. Augustine Catholic Church, which continues to thrive until this day.
This short account of American history was taken from the February 24 edition of The Wanderer of St. Paul, Minn. The author of the account is Dr. Donald DeMarco, professor emeritus at St. Jerome’s University and adjunct professor at Holy Apostles College and Seminary.
Would it not be a different America, if stories like this were taught along with the dates and important events that shaped and built this United States of America.
Richard F. Braun
Sacred Heart Parish
Reedsburg