With a full introduction and textual commentary, this volume introduces William H. Ferris's The African Abroad, a treatise on racial idealism, Black ethnology, and the evolution of Blacks from Negro to Negrosaxon, presenting the first evidence of a Black American idealist and evolutionary thinker in philosophy. “The publication of selections from William H. Ferris’s The African Abroad is a long overdue event. Ferris’s ideas that racial redemption will come from African American contributions to western civilization and that black folk need an educated leadership of the highest talents are nothing new. Given his unique philosophical perspective and conclusions that rub against established orthodoxies, however, Ferris’s work casts new light on the insights and dilemmas of black intellectuals of the early 20th century, and is worth serious consideration.” ―Ernest Allen Jr., Emeritus Professor of Afro-American Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst Tommy J. Curry is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Affiliate Professor of Africana Studies at Texas A&M University. He is a Ray A. Rothrock Fellow and has commented on social matters in venues ranging from Forbes to Sirius XM. He is the author of 50 articles on issues of racism, Black intellectual history, and Black political theory. The Philosophical Treatise of William H. Ferris Selected Readings from The African Abroad Or, His Evolution in Western Civilization By Tommy J. Curry Rowman & Littlefield International, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 Tommy J. Curry All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-78660-033-2 Contents Acknowledgments, ix, Author's Preface: Deliberate Misreadings: Derelictical Avoidance, William H. Ferris, and the Need to Expand the Geography of Black Nationalism to Comprehend The African Abroad, 1, Author's Introduction: The Racial Idealism of William H. Ferris: An Idealist Philosophy of History Rooted in the Ethnological Era, 19, Part I: Introduction to a Philosophy of History, 1 A Narragansett Reverie upon the Eternal and the Ephemeral in Human Life and History, 51, 2 God Revealed in the Course of Human History, in the Movements of the Human Spirit in Its Historical Development — The Meaning of History, 71, 3 Teleology in Reality; or, in What Sense Is There a Teleological Movement in the World? Is Man One of the Final Purposes of the Universe?, 89, 4 The Success of Philosophy, 107, 5 The Epical Meaning and Historic Significance of the Black Man's Spiritual Strivings and Higher Aspirations, 125, Part II: An Ethnological Account of Negro Thought and Life, 6 Typical Negro Traits, 161, 7 A Historical and Psychological Account of the Genesis and Development of the Negro's Religion, 167, 8 Is the Negro an Imitative or a Reflective Being? To What Extent Is the Present Anglo-Saxon Civilization Original and Underived?, 185, 9 Reason Why the Term "Negrosaxon," or Colored, Better Characterizes the Colored People of Mixed Descent in America than the term "Negro", 199, Part III: Racial Idealism and the Color Question, 10 The Key to the Solution of the Race Question, 215, 11 The Educated Leader the Hope of the Race and the Hero in the Struggle for Negro Liberty, 233, Further Reading, 241, Index, 243, CHAPTER 1 A Narragansett Reverie upon the Eternal and the Ephemeral in Human Life and History As I selected for a task giving to the world an interpretation of the hopes and longings and strivings and aspirations of the Black Man, and a record of his deeds and achievements, I thought of the larger life of mankind, of which the life of the Negro is but an eddy in a stream. I pulled back the curtain of time and saw savage man emerging from the caves thousands of years ago. I saw how he learned the use of fire and mastered the art of writing. I saw him dwelling in communities and developing states. I saw him offering sacrifice to an avenging deity, and then rise to the lofty conception of an Eternal One. I saw nations rise and fall, dynasties come and go, saw great men play their part in the drama of human history and pass on into oblivion. And then I asked, What is the significance of the toil and struggle, of the effort and aspiration of man, of the blood and tears he has shed? What is human history? Is there any meaning to history? Is it a divine poem, epic in its sweep? Is it a world drama? Is there a mighty power, a Master Mind behind the curtains, shifting the scenes? I will relate the experience that led me to reflect upon the meaning of history and man's place in the universe. Whoever has visited Great Barrington, crossed the Housatonic River and wandered along the street which lies at the foot of East Rock, can never forget the beauty and serenity of the view before him. Great Barrington lies in a valley between two long low ranges of hills. As the eye glances down the hill, it stops for a moment to watch the play of sunlight and shade upon the Housatonic River, flowing so calmly between two rows of trees. Then