William M. Pleasant, jr. came from a family of stalwart activism. His granduncle, Louis M. Pleasant, was leading founder of the Savannah/Colored Tribune, 1875, and a powerhouse political leader both regionally and nationally. At the time, the paper was an unabashed response to the racially tainted Savannah Morning News. Louis owned small businesses and employed his family thus continuing a family ethic of independent thought and self sufficiency. He expressed a strident Republicanism, then the party of Lincoln, i.e., freedom, that inflamed conservative Democrat/'would-be Dixiecrat' whites who wished to maintain the status quo. The "... bold and fearless" L.M. Pleasant was a decisively forceful politician, who was followed and supported by his equally urbane and eloquent college educated associates, Louis B. Toomer and John H. Deveaux. The group was known as the militant 'black Republican menace.' L.M. Pleasant also held a number of high level positions as a regional and national representative: collector Savannah Ports administration, a Captain in the Colored Troops, executive collector Internal Revenue Service, Delegate-at-large or/and attendee 1884, '86, '92, '96, 1900, National Republican Convention, Inspector US Customs House, and Federal Postal Inspector (the 1st such appointment for a black in the country, appointed by President Mc Kinley).   

   Pleasant's father, William M. Sr., carried on the same idea. He was Savannah's first black independent sign man. Pleasant Sr. was also an instructor/consultant at Savannah State College and a fluent Spanish language scholar who often served as interpreter at the Savannah Customs House

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    " No one could argue the popularity of Pleasant, for he was "Mr Black Republican" of Savannah... he was looked upon as the most influential Black Republican in the state... when Deveaux contested Pleasant's strength and influence... Deveaux had to bow gracefully to Pleasant's power... " Strong Negro Republicans like J.H. Deveaux, James E. White, L.B. Toomer, Floyd Snelson, and Rev. W.H. White followed and supported Pleasant." --- The Negro in Savannah, Purdue, R., 1973. Exposition Press: N.Y.

 


    Note: Since the publication of the work (The Negro in Savannah, Purdue, R., 1973. Exposition Press: N.Y) which commemorates the meritorious political efforts of L.M. Pleasant, Pleasant has been scarcely acknowledged in subsequent Savannah focused accounts. His role as a " bold and fearless" advocate has been supplanted by a regurgitative narrative of his Reconstruction colleagues who were ardent and supportive followers of his lead. The sudden and curious drop off in the full acknowledgement of L.M. Pleasant's leading role in the region's political history raises some interesting questions about the regional narrative. The questions include an analysis of who may be directing or influencing it and what is the purpose of a mythology that edits and/or amplifies certain knowledge banks. This query is not, however, only about L.M. Pleasant. It also addresses the broader displacement of any individuals or events that may have had significant impact upon the extant regional narrative.

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Daily Savannah Republican

 

The Negro in Savannah, Purdue, R., 1973. Exposition Press: N.Y

The Savannah Tribune, the Negro Republican paper, began in 1875: it was owned by three of Savannah's leading politicians... They were Louis B Toomer, Louis M. Pleasant, and John H. Deveaux. p. 52

Toomer's close friend , L.M. Pleasant became even more prominent in the Republiican party.
Pleasant became a leading Republican in the state and was recognized by National Republicans for his party loyalty and political shrewdness.

.... Pleasant and Deveaux who took over in the 1880's ... The new leaders were college graduates, articulate, and able, and stood out in marked contrast to the black masses.

He [Pleasant] did not always voice the interests of the Negro populace... Pleasant's attitude was not unique, however, for Deveaux and a few other blacks felt they were above the common blacks... p.62
... Pleasant was tactful enough to realize that a strict appeal to racism or a tirade against the prejudices of whites was not the answer to the problems of blacks...
he made the best of a deteriorating situation by working hard in the party and hoping that a Republican administration... would bring about a "second Reconstruction" dedicated to the guarantee of Negro rights.

Pleasant's unflagging efforts earned him respect from important Republicans both black and white.

...Longstreet and Adkins headed the "Syndicate", a faction of the Republican party that tried to take over, while blacks were generally excluded. But Pleasant was included because he was looked upon as the most influential black Republican in the state.
p. 64

Undoubtedly white Republicans who consulted Pleasant knew he was the  Negro leader who had to be reckoned with... When Pleasant and Deveaux clashed, Pleasant won...
when Deveaux contested Pleasant's strength and influence among black and white Republicans, Deveaux had to bow gracefully to Pleasant's power. No one could argue the popularity of Pleasant, for he was "Mr Black Republican" of Savannah. p. 65

Pleasant was a power in the Republican party... Strong Negro Republicans like J.H. Deveaux, James E. White, L.B. Toomer, Floyd Snelson, and Rev. W.H. White followed and supported Pleasant. p. 67

When White, Toomer, and Pleasant worked hard within the Republican party, they did so because they expected to advance themselves while simultaneously promoting the welfare of their followers.

All three men rose above race in their politics and proved to be as astute and articulate  as many white politicians... White, Toomer, and Pleasant rose as powerful politicians from the ashes of Reconstruction... p. 68

 

Unlike " Deveaux, titular head of Savannah blacks", Pleasant was a Captain in the colored troops and had not, "... impressed [Whites] by the service Deveaux rendered to the Confederate cause". "It was said that he [Deveaux ] would lay a wreath at the tomb of (Confederate) Lt. Pelot" and "... he saw that old Confederates were provided for in either employment or otherwise". (Perdue, p. 65 and Hoskins, Charles. Yet with a Steady Beat. 2001. Gullah Press: Savannah, GA.)

 

The three men who founded the Savannah Tribune in 1875 were fair-skinned Negroes who were concerned about the entire black community... beyond the narrow confines of the upper-class blacks... p. 93





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