Benjamin Arthur Quarles (January 23, 1904 – November 16, 1996) was an American historian, administrator, educator, and writer, whose scholarship centered on

black American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

social and political history. Major books by Quarles include ''The Negro in the Civil War'' (1953), ''The Negro in the American Revolution'' (1961), ''Lincoln and the Negro'' (1962), and ''Black Abolitionists'' (1969). He demonstrated that blacks were active participants in major conflicts and issues of American history. His books were narrative accounts of critical wartime periods that focused on how blacks interacted with their white allies and emphasized blacks' acting as vital agents of change rather than receiving favors from whites.

Background

Quarles was born in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, in 1904. His parents were Margaret (O'Brien), a homemaker, and Arthur Benedict Quarles, a subway porter. As a boy, Benjamin went to local public schools. In his twenties, Quarles enrolled at

Shaw University Shaw University is a private historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded on December 1, 1865, Shaw University is the oldest HBCU to begin offering courses in the Southern United States. The school had its origin in the fo ...

, the first

historically black college Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

in the South, in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, and received his B.A. degree in 1931. He earned his M.A. degree from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

in 1933, and Ph.D. from there in 1940. Initially he faced resistance for wanting to write Black history, but finally received support for his goal. He learned his writing style from Professor

William B. Hesseltine William Best Hesseltine (February 21, 1902 – December 8, 1963) was an American historian and politician. As a historian and professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for nearly three decades, Hesseltine's field of expertise was mi ...

. He returned to Shaw, working as an instructor of history (1935–39). He next taught at

Dillard University Dillard University is a private, historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 and incorporating earlier institutions founded as early as 1869 after the American Civil War, it is affiliated with the United Church of C ...

(1939–1953) in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. There he became a full professor and also served as dean. His last appointment was as professor of history and chair of the department at

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a Public university, public historically black colleges and universities, historically black research university in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically bla ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

(1953–1974). After Quarles's official retirement in 1969, he was awarded professor ''emeritus'' status and kept teaching for several years. Quarles was an active member of many political and historical organizations, such as Project Advisory Committee on Black Congress Members, the committee to oversee the founding of the Amistad Center at

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

, the Department of the Army Historical Advisory Committee, and the American Council of Learned Societies. He was one of the few men in the profession who openly supported the founding of the

Association of Black Women Historians The Association of Black Women Historians (ABWH) is a non-profit professional association based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. The organization was developed in 1977 and formally founded in 1979. History The Association of Black Wome ...

Author

A prolific writer, Benjamin Quarles published 10 books, 23 articles, and hundreds of shorter pieces of various sorts. In his writings, he focused on exploring in detail the contributions made by the black soldiers and abolitionists of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

(1775–1783), and the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

(1861–1865). His essays in the ''Mississippi Valley Historical Review'' in 1945 and 1959 were the first from a Black historian to be published in a major historical journal. His books include: *''

Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14, 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He was the most impor ...

'' (1948) (published dissertation) *''The Negro in the Civil War'' (1953) *''The Negro in the American Revolution'' (1961) *''Lincoln and the Negro'' (1962) *''The Negro in the Making of America'' (3rd edition, "revised, updated, and expanded", 1987)

964 Year 964 ( CMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Nikephoros II continues the reconquest of south-eastern Anatolia (modern Turkey). He recaptures Cyp ...

*''Frederick Douglass'', edited by Benjamin Quarles (1968) (Great Lives Observed) *''Black Abolitionists'' (1969) *''Blacks on

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

'', edited by Banjamin Quarles (1972) *''Allies for Freedom: Blacks and John Brown'' (1974) *''Black Mosaic: Essays in Afro-American History and Historiography'' (1988)

Legacy and honors

Quarles died in 1996 of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

at the age of 92. * 1988: Publishes ''Black Mosaic: Essays in Afro-American History and Historiography''. Received

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world, claiming over 10,000 members. Founded in 1884, AHA works to protect academic free ...

's Senior Historian Scholarly Distinction Award. * 1988: Morgan State University dedicated The Benjamin A. Quarles African-American Studies Room in the university library, as a repository for his books, manuscripts, and memorabilia. * 1996: Receives the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a historical museum in Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and m ...

Lifetime Achievement Award * 2013: Quarles was inducted into the

Great Blacks in Wax Museum The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum is a wax museum in Baltimore, Maryland featuring prominent African-American and other black historical figures. It was established in 1983, in a downtown storefront on Saratoga Street. The museum is at 160 ...

, Inc. in Baltimore. * Dr. Benjamin Quarles Place, a short downtown residential street just west of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Baltimore is named after Quarles.

References

External links

"Quarles, Benjamin A. (1904-1996)"
''BlackPast.org''. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
"Dedicated historian, Benjamin Quarles"
''The African American Registry''. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
"Benjamin A. Quarles, January 23, 1904–November 16, 1996"
specialist in African American history, and a mentor, a respected teacher who received many honors - reprinted from a tribute – Obituary]. Retrieved 2007-04-15. {{DEFAULTSORT:Quarles, Benjamin Arthur 1904 births 1996 deaths 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century American historians 20th-century American male writers Academics from Maryland Academics from Massachusetts African-American historians African-American male writers American male non-fiction writers Dillard University faculty Historians from Maryland Historians from Massachusetts Historians of African Americans Historians of the American Revolution Morgan State University faculty Shaw University alumni Shaw University faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Writers from Baltimore Writers from Boston