Early Years
This city is located in Commonwealth of Virginia. In 2010 the population was only 23,000. Founded on 1754 named after Duke of York
What is Prince Edward County, Virginia. Located in Farmville, VA.
Blanche was born here in 1841 as a slave.
His mother, Polly, was enslaved. Bruce’s father was most likely Pettus Perkinson, who was Polly’s master.
This area in the South is called
"The Most Southern Place on Earth"
What is the Mississippi Delta.
This is where Blanche purchased his first farm around 1868. He instantly became a wealthy landowner of several thousand acres.
This is an official of a legislative assembly whose duty includes maintaining order and security.
Sergeant at Arms.
Blanche was elected to this position in 1870 for the Mississippi State Senate.
An office of the United States Treasury Department. In 1919, it became the Public Debt Service which, in 1940, became the Bureau of the Public Debt.
What is the Register of the Treasury.
In 1881 Blanche was the first African American to have his signature featured on U.S. paper currency.
What is a Socialite.
Blanches wife often referred as.
He married Josephine Beal Willson of Cleveland, OH in 1878.
This is a person who favors the abolition of a practice or institution, especially capital punishment also know as slavery.
What is an Abolitionist
Slaves that escaped like Blanche hid in homes of Abolitionist on their journeys across state lines.
This famous Era was between 1863 and 1877
What is the
Reconstruction era.
Reconstruction ended the remnants of Confederate secession and ended slavery, making the newly-free slaves citizens with civil rights
Citizens of a state elect two of these persons and they serve 6 year terms.
What are members of Senate or Senators.
Blanche served as a Republican U.S. Senator for Mississippi from 1875 to 1881. First African American to serve a full term.
Hiram Rhodes Revels was the dirst of Mississippi only serving (1) year
1870-1871
Blanche ran against this politician and lawyer for the Presidential seat in 1888
Benjamin Harrison.
This President selected Bruce as the Record of Deeds for Washington DC in 1889
President Harrison
In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln signed this document changing the status of 3.5 million enslaved African Americans.
What is the Emancipation Proclamation
During the civil war 11 Southern States considered themselves
Confederate States of America,
This famous meeting was held in 1880 in Chicago, Il
1880 Republican National Convention
Blanche became the first African American to win any votes for national office at a major party's nominating convention, with eight votes for vice president.
This was private corporation chartered by the U.S. government to encourage and guide the economic development of the newly emancipated African-American communities in the post-Civil War period.
Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company.
In 1878 Blanche became chairman of the Select Committee to Investigate the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company located in Washington DC.
He was a politician from New York who served both as a member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. Known as Blanche's Mentor and Friend
US Senator Roscoe Conkling.
Blanche and his wife Josephine named their first child after the Senator.
Roscoe Conkling Bruce, was born in 1879. He became an educator after graduating from Harvard University in 1898. He became editor-in-chief of the Harriet Tubman Publishing Company
This crop paid well in the south and considered easier to grow given the climate.
What is Cotton.
In 1868 Blanche relocated to Mississippi and became a cotton farmer. Over time, he would accumulate 640 acres of land for his plantation.
What were the Confederate States?
South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia,Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina
Which Presidents were in office during 1881 - 1889?
James A. Garfield 1881
Chester A. Arthur 1881-1885
Grover Cleveland 1885-1889
A government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over that property.
Register of Deeds.
Blanche served in Washington DC during 1890 -1893. His salary was $30,000.
This group was formed in 1896 by black reformers. It was the largest federation of local black women’s clubs
National Organization of Afro-American Women
Blanche's wife Josephine dedicated her life to the organization , successfully running for the vice presidency of the organization in 1896.
This Private Liberal Arts College was founded in 1833. One of the first US colleges to Admit African Americans
What is Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio.
Blanche attended this college in 1866. Two years prior he established a school for black children.
This popular crop continues to harvest in this Missouri town
What is tobacco.
Chariton County, Missouri
Blanche and his family spent some time here growing tobacco.
This President appointed Blanche to be the Register of the Treasury,
1881 President James A. Garfield
This was aimed at eliminating racial discrimination against African Americans, improving educational and employment opportunities, and establishing electoral power, just after the abolition of Slavery in the United States. This period between 1865 and 1895
What is the
Civil rights movement (1865–1896)
Another name for a line of hereditary rulers or a succession of people from the same family who play a prominent role in business and politics.
What is a Dynasty.
Blanche Bruce's family was considered the first Black Dynasty.