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Edmund Lee Drago collection

 Collection
Identifier: AMN 1051

Scope and Contents

The Edmund Lee Drago Papers are organized in five series. The first series consists of materials related to Drago’s Initiative, Paternalism, and Race Relations research, documenting the Avery Normal Institute. This includes research done in collections round the country such as the Avery Research Center, the National Archives, Amistad Research Center, Mooreland-Spingarn Research Center. The files are mostly arranged by topic and consist of photocopies and abstracts from primary sources that include correspondence of the American Missionary Association and Avery Normal Institute staff; newspaper clippings, oral histories transcripts (including those of Septima Clark, Bernice Robinson, William A. Saunders, Eugene Hunt, Jr., and Arthur Clement). Included are photographs, organizational minutes and reports, and financial documents, with ddocuments on a number of individuals including Septima Clark, J. Waites Waring, John A. McFall, John Wrighten, and others. Other than Avery itself, subjects include the American Missionary Association, the NAACP, the Charleston Interracial Committee (1942-1953), the Civil Rights movement, race relations in Charleston, with clippings regarding the 1968 Hospital Worker’s Strike; the Highlander School, the Friendly Moralist Society, and various Charleston African American social and fraternal organizations like the Humane Brotherhood Association and the Phillis Wheatley Literary and Social Club. The second series holds photocopies and originals of secondary sources used and consulted in researching and writing Initiative, Paternalism, and Race Relations including book excerpts, articles, and theses. Correspondence between author and publishers, information on royalties, reviews, news clippings, and other materials, such as photographs, regarding the completed manuscript are also included. The third series relates to Drago's work as a founding member of the Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture, working as a board member to establish a Research Center, obtaining collections, and being involved in various historical projects invitations, brochures, board meeting minutes, grant applications, speeches, financial reports, and other printed material by or about Avery initiatives such as exhibits, publications, donated materials, and programs. Also holds Drago’s other scholarly works including research material and drafts of “Saving Avery,” the added chapter to the revised "Initiative, Paternalism, and Race Relations." The fourth series holds various printed documents and handwritten notes and drafts regarding the failed attempt to publish an edited transcription of the "Proceedings of the Friendly Moralist Society." The fifth series contains research documents pertaining to Drago's edited volume of Broke by the War: Letters of a Slave Trader. This includes primary and secondary research on Ziba B. Oakes and A.J. McElveen, correspondence with publishers, annotated drafts, newspaper articles, books, images, and indexes.

Dates

  • 1784-2009, undated
  • Majority of material found in 1865-1991

Creator

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Copyright Notice

The nature of the Avery Research Center's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Avery Research Center claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in reseearch, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of materials, including but not limited to, infrigement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Biographical Note

Scholar, author, and College of Charleston history professor Edmund Lee Drago was born in Chicago, Illinois. He received his BA from the University of Santa Clara in 1964 and his MA in History from the University of California, Berkeley in 1966. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War from 1969-1972 and completed his Ph.D. in History at the University of California at Berkeley in 1975. He began his teaching career at the College of Charleston in 1975. He is the author of Initiative, Paternalism and Race Relations: Charleston’s Avery Normal Institute (1990), a history of Avery Normal Institute. The book reappeared, revised and edited by W. Marvin Dulaney, in 2006 as Charleston’s Avery Center: From Education and Civil Rights to Preserving the African American Experience. He is also the author of The Confederate Phoenix: Rebel Children and their Families in South Carolina (2008), Hurrah for Hampton: Black Red Shirts in South Carolina during Reconstruction (1998), Broke by the War: Letters of a Slave Trader (1991), and Black Politicians and Reconstruction in Georgia: A Splendid Failure (1982). Dr. Drago has received numerous awards including a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for College Teachers (1981), a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award (Teaching) Italy (1994) and numerous others. Dr. Drago served as a board member for Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture and in that role was instrumental in establishing the Avery Research Center, an African American archives, museum and cultural center at the College of Charleston in the former Avery Normal Institute building. His research focus is 19th century U.S. History, African American and Charleston history; and the American Civil War and Reconstruction.

Extent

15.25 linear feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Scholar, author, and history professor, Edmund Lee Drago began his teaching career at the College of Charleston in 1975. He is the author of "Initiative, Paternalism and Race Relations: Charleston's Avery Normal Institute" (1990), among other books. His research focus is 19th century U.S. History, African American and Charleston history, and the American Civil War and Reconstruction. The Edmund Lee Drago Papers are organized in three series. The first consists of materials related to his book, Initiative, Paternalism and Race Relations, documenting the Avery Normal Institute. The files are mostly arranged by topic and consist of photocopies and abstracts from primary sources including correspondence of the American Missionary Association and Avery Normal Institute staff. The second series pertains to Drago's work as a founding member of the Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture. Materials includes board meeting minutes, speeches, correspondence, news clippings, invitations, brochures and other printed material by or about the Avery Institute or the Avery Research Center. The third series contains Drago's other scholarly work including research material and drafts of various writings.

Related Materials

Eugene C. Hunt Papers and Collection (AMN 1047)

Processing Information

Processed by Georgette Mayo, 2020

Title
Inventory of the Edmund Lee Drago collection, 2020
Status
Completed
Author
By: Georgette Mayo
Date
2021
Description rules
Dacs
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Revision Statements

  • August 2020: Originally organized by Jessica Lancia, 2007. Reprocessed and edited for ArchivesSpace by Georgette Mayo

Repository Details

Part of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture Repository

Contact:
125 Bull Street
Charleston South Carolina 29424 United States
843-953-7608