Robert Lee Hill facts for kids
Robert Lee Hill (born June 8, 1892 – died May 11, 1963) was an African-American farmer and a leader who worked to help other farmers. He lived in Arkansas and started an organization called the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America after World War I. This group aimed to help sharecroppers and tenant farmers get fairer deals from white landowners.
Hill was part of a meeting of Black farmers near Elaine, Arkansas on September 30, 1919. During this meeting, a conflict happened, leading to violence. This event became known as the Elaine massacre. For two days, white groups attacked Black people in the area. Many people were killed, and the government sent soldiers to stop the violence. Hill escaped to Kansas, where he was later arrested. The NAACP helped him. The Governor of Kansas, Henry Justin Allen, refused to send Hill back to Arkansas because he worried Hill would not be safe or get a fair trial there. Later, the charges against Hill were dropped, and he was set free in October 1920.
After this, Robert Lee Hill worked for different railroad companies in the Midwest from 1920 to 1962. These jobs were important for African Americans at the time. He passed away in 1963, less than a year after he retired.
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Early Life and Challenges
Robert Lee Hill was born in Dermott, Arkansas in Chicot County, Arkansas. We don't have many records about his early life. It seems he had some schooling and even took a course to become a private investigator. He sometimes called himself "Robert Hill, U.S. Detective."
Around the time Hill was born, new laws were made in Arkansas. These laws, called Jim Crow laws, made it very hard for most Black people and many poor white people to vote. They also created strict rules for racial segregation, meaning Black and white people were kept separate in many parts of life.
Before 1918, Hill moved to Winchester, Arkansas. He was married with two children and worked for a farming company. He also worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad in Little Rock, Arkansas, from 1915 to 1919.
Starting the Progressive Farmers Union
While living in Winchester, Robert Lee Hill became very active in helping African-American workers, especially sharecroppers and tenant farmers. These farmers worked on land owned by white people. They often faced unfair situations because they depended on the landowners to sell their crops and pay them. Landowners rarely showed them clear records of how much money was made. Farmers often had to buy seeds and supplies from stores owned by the plantation owners, which added to their debt. This meant farmers often struggled financially for a long time after their crops were harvested.
To help with these problems, Hill started the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America. He based his group on ideas from Black community organizations and worker unions. He also looked at the ideas of Booker T. Washington, who encouraged Black businesses. Hill wanted his organization to make landowners pay farmers their fair share of money. He also hoped the union could buy its own farms.
In the summer of 1919, after World War I ended, Hill encouraged many African-American sharecroppers and sawmill workers to join his union. Many Black veterans who had fought in the war joined because they were upset about the unfair treatment they still faced at home. Hill successfully started union groups in several small towns like Hoop Spur, Elaine, and Mellwood.
The Elaine Massacre
In the fall of 1919, two of the union groups hired lawyers from Little Rock, Arkansas to help them get fair treatment in court. When local white people found out, they became very concerned. On September 30, a meeting of the Hoop Spur union group turned violent, and a white man was killed. After this, many white people came into the area and attacked Black people throughout the county for several days. This terrible event is known as the Elaine massacre. Many people were killed, and only Black people were charged with crimes by local officials.
Robert Lee Hill managed to escape the violence and fled to Kansas. Authorities in Arkansas called him "the most wanted man in Arkansas." They claimed he was planning to harm plantation owners.
Arrest and Freedom
On January 20, 1920, Hill was arrested in Kansas. Arkansas police found him after reading a letter he had sent to his wife. Arkansas officials wanted him sent back to Arkansas. Federal authorities also charged Hill with causing a riot and pretending to be a federal officer.
The NAACP worked hard to help Hill. The Governor of Kansas, Henry Justin Allen, refused to send Hill back to Arkansas. He said he believed Hill would not get a fair trial or be safe in Arkansas jails. Thanks to the NAACP's efforts, the federal charges against Hill were dropped. He was released from jail on October 11, 1920.
Life After the Union
In 1921, Robert Lee Hill was hurt while working at a meatpacking plant in Topeka, Kansas. Because he could no longer do heavy physical work, he tried to get a job with the NAACP. James Weldon Johnson, a leader at the NAACP, suggested Hill join the Topeka branch.
According to his work records, Hill started working for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company in Topeka on July 1, 1922. For a while, he used the name George L. Smith, but he changed it back to Robert Lee Hill in February 1924. He had also worked for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad in Chicago from 1920 to 1922.
Robert Lee Hill retired from the AT&SF Railroad on August 16, 1962. He passed away on May 11, 1963, in Topeka and is buried in the Topeka Cemetery.
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