Historical Papers

uabassett Inventory of the John Spencer Bassett Collection, 1802 - 1998(bulk 1893-1911), Processed by: Linda Daniel; machine-readable finding aid created by: Linda Daniel University ArchivesDuke University

Durham, N.C., U.S.A.

Aleph Number: 003258667

Machine-readable finding aid derived from automated markup system. Date of source: July 2003 Processed by Linda Daniel July 2003; Finding Aid encoded by Linda Daniel, University Archives, Duke University, July 2003 Description is in English. 05-01-2006 PUBLIC "-//University Archives//TEXT (US::NDD::::John Spencer Bassett Collection, 1802-1998 (bulk 1893-1911))//EN" uabassett.xml converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (sy2003-10-15).Also, the top level of the finding aid (above the dsc) was changed to conform to the NC EAD Best Practice Guidelines. Within the dsc, dates for series were normalized. Inventory of the John Spencer Bassett Collection, 1802-1998 (bulk 1893-1911) University Archives Duke University Durham, North Carolina 27708-0202 USA

Descriptive Summary John Spencer Bassett Collection, 1802 - 1998 (bulk 1893-1911) Bassett, John Spencer, 1867-1928. 1.0 Linear Feet, 250 Items University Archives, Duke University For current information on the location of these materials, please consult University Archives, Duke University. John Spencer Bassett, a professor in the History Department of Trinity College from 1893-1906, was a renowned educator and advocate of freedom of expression. A native of North Carolina, Bassett received his A.B. from Trinity College in 1888 and his doctorate at Johns Hopkins University in 1894. He returned to Trinity College to teach and was active in teaching, writing and collecting southern Americana. Bassett began publication of an annual series of Historical Papers of the Trinity College Historical Society; founded the honorary society 9019, a precursor to Phi Beta Kappa; founded and edited the scholarly journal, the South Atlantic Quarterly; and encouraged his students to publish and fostered their interests in Southern history. In 1903, Bassett published an article, Stirring Up the Fires of Race Antipathy in the South Atlantic Quarterly, that praised the accomplishments of African Americans and offered views on how to improve race relations. Bassett's views brought on a controversy that became known as the Bassett Affair that helped to establish the concept of academic freedom in higher education in the United States. The collection contains personal and professional papers related to the life and work of John Spencer Bassett. Materials range in date from 1802 to 1998 (bulk 1893-1911) and include biographical information, correspondence, printed material, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, and souvenirs. English. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Patrons must sign the Acknowledgement of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.

The collection is open for research. The Jessie Lewellin Bassett autobiography is open for research but not for publication, upon donor request.

Use Restrictions

Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], John Spencer Bassett Collection, University Archives, Duke University.

Provenance

The John Spencer Bassett Collection was received by the University Archives as a gift in 1960 (A60-233), 1966 (A66-34), 1967 (A67-10), 1972 (A72-32), 1998 (A98-16); as a purchase in 1939 (A39-3130); and as a transfer in 1964 (A64-68).

Processing Information

Processed by Linda Daniel

Completed July 2003

Encoded by Linda Daniel, July 2003

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.

Biographical Note

John Spencer Bassett, a professor in the History Department of Trinity College from 1893-1906, was a renowned educator and advocate of freedom of expression. A native of North Carolina, Bassett received his A.B. from Trinity College in 1888 and his doctorate at Johns Hopkins University in 1894. He returned to Trinity College to teach and was active in teaching, writing and collecting southern Americana. Bassett began publication of an annual series of Historical Papers of the Trinity College Historical Society; founded the honorary society 9019, a precursor to Phi Beta Kappa; founded and edited the scholarly journal, the South Atlantic Quarterly; and encouraged his students to publish and fostered their interests in Southern history.

In 1903, Bassett published an article, Stirring Up the Fires of Race Antipathy in the South Atlantic Quarterly, that praised the accomplishments of African Americans and offered views on how to improve race relations. Bassett's views brought on a controversy that became known as the Bassett Affair that helped to establish the concept of academic freedom in higher education in the United States.

Bassett was named Professor of History at Smith College in 1906. Bassett continued his career as a noted historiographer and became the acknowledged authority on Andrew Jackson. He also served as secretary of the American Historical Association from 1919 to 1928. John Spencer Bassett died in Washington, DC, in 1928.

Collection Overview

The collection contains personal and professional papers related to the life and work of John Spencer Bassett. Materials range in date from 1802 to 1998 (bulk 1893-1911) and include biographical information, correspondence, printed material, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, and souvenirs. The correspondence (1893-1917) includes a copy of a 1911 letter to Charles Frances Adams in which Bassett gives his account of the Bassett Affair. Other correspondents include Oswald G. Villard, William Kenneth Boyd, Edwin Mims, and William E. Dodd. Much of the original correspondence concerns affairs of the Roanoke Colony Memorial Association. Clippings ([1802]-1896) include articles about North Carolina politics, Civil War history, the Bassett Affair, Trinity College matters, race relations, the media, and education. The manuscripts include the autobiography of Jessie Lewellin Bassett, wife of John Spencer Bassett, in which she describes her life from 1866 until her marriage to Bassett in 1892; a copy of the paper, How to Collect and Preserve Historical Material, that Bassett presented to the State Historical Association on Oct. 23, 1900; and John L. Woodward's Ph.B. thesis, Causes and Progress of the Revolutionary Movement in North Carolina, (1894).

The bulk of John Spencer Bassett's personal papers can be found in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress.

Subject Headings

These and related materials may be accessed under the following subject headings in the Duke University Libraries online catalog.

Academic freedom. Bassett, Jessie Lewellin. Bassett, John Spencer, 1867-1928. College teachers--North Carolina. Duke University. Freedom of speech--North Carolina. Racism--North Carolina. Roanoke Colony Memorial Association. Southern states--Race relations. Trinity College (Durham, N.C.) Bassett, Jessie Lewellin. Contents of Collection Container List 1 1 Biographical information on John Spencer Bassett, 1943-1976 2-9 Correspondence, [1893]-1917 10 John Spencer Bassett, "How to Collect and Preserve Historical Material," a paper read before the State Historical Association, Nov. 25, 1900 11 John L. Woodward, Ph.B. thesis, "Causes and Progress of the Revolutionary Movement in North Carolina," 1894 12 Research papers collected by John Spencer Bassett, 1856-1869 13 Catalog of manuscript holdings of the Trinity College Historical Society, [1905] 14-17 Clippings, [1806]-1902 18 Trinity College memorabilia, 1899-1918 19 Roanoke Colony Memorial Association, 1893-1894. Includes copies of the Articles of Incorporation and bylaws, clippings, and printed material. 20 Souvenirs collected by John Spencer Bassett 21 Photographs, 1884-1906 (photocopies) 2 22-25 Jessie Lewellin Bassett, Autobiography, [ca. 1940]

Open for research but not for publication.

26-29 Jessie Lewellin Bassett, Autobiography, [ca. 1940], (photocopy)

Open for research but not for publication.

Related Material John Spencer Bassett Papers. Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. Bassett Affair Collection. University Archives, Duke University. B.N. Duke Papers. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University. John C. Kilgo Papers. University Archives, Duke University. James Southgate Papers. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University. Ninety Nineteen (9019) Records. University Archives, Duke University.