“The Steep Edge of a Dark Abyss”: Mohonk, White Social Engineers, and Black Education

Abstract

June 2020 marks the 130th anniversary of the First Mohonk Conference on “The Negro Question.” For 3 days, elite, ruling-class Whites met to discuss efforts to train and assimilate Black Americans into the socioeconomic strata of the U.S. south. Deeper scrutiny of the political rationale of Mohonkers belies a paternalism driven by deep-seated fear and loathing of Black people; collective anxiety over economy, jobs, national infrastructure; perceived threats to White agency; concerns over Whiteness/White identity, globalization, and the looming increase of an educated, skilled, mobile, and free Black population. In this paper, the author will provide a critical overview of the 1890 Mohonk conference and discuss its historical significance and broader political implications.