Benjamin Arthur Quarles facts for kids

Benjamin Arthur Quarles (born January 23, 1904 – died November 16, 1996) was an important American historian, teacher, and writer. He spent his career studying the social and political history of Black Americans.

Quarles showed that Black people were key players in major events throughout American history. His books told the stories of important wartime periods. They focused on how Black people worked with others. He always highlighted how Black people actively brought about change, instead of just receiving help from others.

Who Was Benjamin Quarles?

Benjamin Arthur Quarles was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1904. His mother, Margaret, was a homemaker. His father, Arthur Benedict Quarles, worked as a subway porter. Benjamin went to public schools in his hometown as a boy.

His Education Journey

In his twenties, Quarles went to Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. This was the first historically black college in the Southern United States. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), in 1931.

He then continued his studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He received his Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in 1933. Later, in 1940, he earned his Ph.D. from the same university. At first, some people didn't want him to write Black history. But he eventually found support for his important goal.

A Dedicated Teacher

After finishing his studies, Quarles returned to Shaw University. He worked there as a history instructor from 1935 to 1939. Next, he taught at Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana, from 1939 to 1953. At Dillard, he became a full professor and also served as a dean.

His last teaching job was at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. He worked there from 1953 to 1974. He became the head of the History Department. At Morgan, Quarles was a beloved teacher and mentor. He helped many African-American scholars for over two generations.

Many of his books became required reading in African-American history classes. These courses started appearing in American universities during the 1960s. This was a time when the civil rights movement was growing. People also became more interested in the history of minority groups and women. After officially retiring in 1969, Quarles was given the title of professor emeritus. He continued teaching for several more years.

Quarles was also active in many groups. These included committees for Black Congress Members and the Department of the Army Historical Advisory Committee. He was one of the few men who openly supported the founding of the Association of Black Women Historians.

Writing History

Benjamin Quarles was a very productive writer. He published ten books, 23 articles, and hundreds of shorter pieces. His writings focused on the important contributions of Black soldiers and abolitionists. He wrote about their roles in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) and the American Civil War (1861–1865).

His essays published in the Mississippi Valley Historical Review in 1945 and 1959 were groundbreaking. They were the first from a Black historian to appear in a major historical journal.

His Major Books

• Frederick Douglass (1948)
• 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 (1964)
• Frederick Douglass, edited by Benjamin Quarles (1968)
• Black Abolitionists (1969)
• Blacks on John Brown (1972)
• Allies for Freedom (1974)
• Black Mosaic: Essays in Afro-American History and Historiography (1988)

His Legacy and Honors

Benjamin Quarles passed away in 1996 from a heart attack. He was 92 years old.

• 1988: He published Black Mosaic: Essays in Afro-American History and Historiography. He also received the American Historical Association's Senior Historian Scholarly Distinction Award.
• 1988: Morgan State University opened The Benjamin A. Quarles African-American Studies Room. This room in the university library holds his books, writings, and other special items.
• 1996: He received the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History Lifetime Achievement Award.
• 2013: Quarles was honored by being added to the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Inc. in Baltimore.
• A street in Baltimore, Maryland, is named after him: Dr. Benjamin Quarles Place.