Earl E. Thorpe papers, 1942-1990

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Summary

Creator:
Thorpe, Earl Endris, 1924-1989
Abstract:
Historian, professor, clergyman, and activist; resident of Durham, N.C. The papers of Earl E. Thorpe span the years 1942-1990, the bulk of the materials having been generated during the years 1965 to 1982. Primarily, materials in the collection address Thorpe's work at North Carolina Central University (formerly North Carolina College), and his tenure as visiting professor at Harvard and Duke universities. Topics include student activism, teaching, racial and departmental politics on campus, and the development of viable African American Studies programs. Thorpe's service as chair of the program committee for the 1979 meeting of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History (ASALH), and his term as president of the ASALH in 1980 are also well represented. Personal correspondence with family and students, and material reflective of Thorpe's life in the ministry are scattered throughout. Some materials also touch on North Carolina and Durham politics and race relations.
Extent:
2 Linear Feet (1225 items)
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.01294

Background

Scope and content:

The papers of Earl E. Thorpe - historian, clergyman, and activist - span the years 1942 to 1990, the bulk of the materials having been generated during the years 1965-1982. The collection consists of six series: Correspondence, Writings and Speeches, Pictures, Printed Material, Clippings, and Genealogical Papers. Materials in the collection primarily address Thorpe's work at North Carolina College/North Carolina Central University and his visiting positions at Harvard and Duke universities. Thorpe's service as chair of the program committee for the 1979 meeting of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History (ASALH), and his term as president of the ASALH in 1980 are also well represented. Personal correspondence with family and students, and material reflective of Thorpe's life in the ministry are scattered throughout.

The bulk of the collection consists of Thorpe's personal and professional correspondence. To 1970, material in the Correspondence Series centers on departmental politics at North Carolina College - specifically confusion and dissension over Thorpe's promotion to the chair of the history department. Letters from Thorpe's daughter at Spellman College in Atlanta, missives from friends and former students, a World War II-era note from Thorpe to Martha V. Branch (Thorpe's future wife), and a small amount of professional correspondence are also represented.

Beginning in 1971, correspondence turns to Thorpe's appointment as a visiting professor of Afro-American Studies at Harvard University. The letters reveal the substance of Thorpe's classes and the intellectual environment at Harvard, especially that of the Afro-American Studies Department. The challenges facing the organization and the development of a viable degree program emerge in correspondence between Thorpe and Ewart Gunier, letters copied to Thorpe from others, and internal departmental memoranda.

From 1972 through 1978, correspondence focuses again on Thorpe's duties at North Carolina Central University: tenure proceedings, student activism, class organization, personnel searches, and race politics on campus. Of particular interest are letters concerning the appointment of a white instructor to teach NCCU's Afro-American history survey, and the organization of the Helen G. Edmonds history colloquium. Matters unrelated to the history department or the workings of the campus are touched upon - planning for family reunions, and correspondence concerning Thorpe's health, for example.

Beginning in 1978, correspondence turns to Thorpe's duties as chair of the program committee for the 1979 meeting of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History (ASALH). In some detail, the letters recount the organization of the ASALH conference program - especially the politics and compromise involved in such a labor. Principal correspondents are ASALH officials, but included are notes from prominent African American historians. Panel and papers abstracts submitted for the committee's consideration are filed in the Writings and Speeches series. A number of letters and abstracts represent efforts by the Association of Black Women Historians to organize panels at the meeting.

In 1980, correspondence shifts to matters concerning Professor Thorpe's tenure as president of the ASALH. The organization of the 1981 conference in New Orleans is prominent. Correspondence pondering the future of the ASALH in light of recent mismanagement is also present. Of material not related to ASALH in this period, correspondence between Thorpe and Lerone Bennet, Jr. is especially interesting. In 1981, Thorpe charged Bennet with plagiarizing Thorpe's work in preparing a piece for Ebony magazine. As if preparing for a trial, Professor Thorpe went so far as to collect evidence and build a case. The matter, however, was never fully resolved.

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
1924 November 9
Born, Durham, NC
1942
Graduated from Hillside High School, Durham, NC
1943-1946
Served in U.S. Army
1946
Married Martha Vivian Branch
1948
Received B.A. degree from North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central University)
1949
Received M.A. degree from North Carolina College
1951-1953
Held various teaching positions in St. Louis, MO; Normal, AL; and Baton Rouge, LA
1953
Received Ph.D. in history from Ohio State University
1962
Joined history department at North Carolina College
1966
Appointed chairman of the History Department at North Carolina College, previously served as acting chairman
1972
Visiting professor of Afro-American studies at Harvard University
1976
Ordained as minister
1978
Chaired the program committee for the 1979 meeting of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History (ASALH)
1980
President, ASALH
1989, January 20
Died, Durham, NC

Additional information can be found in Paul Zwillenberg, I dream a world: an intellectual biography of Earlie Endris Thorpe (honor's thesis, 1989).

Acquisition information:
The Earl E. Thorpe papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 1982, 1985 and 1990.
Processing information:

Processed by Alexander X. Byrd, November 1993

Encoded by Paula Jeannet, Stephen Douglas Miller, 1993 and 2011

Accession(s) described in this finding aid: 3-18-82, 3-22-82, 7-6-82, 9-25-85, and 90-100

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Earl E. Thorpe papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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