(1) (a)Who was offered 40 acres and a mule and (b)did the agent making the offer have the legal authority to make the offer?
Answer: Major General William T. Sherman offered 40 acres to family heads of families who were owned as slaves along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The order made no mention of mules at all; the addition of the mule as part of the tale is considered either a myth or a result of Sherman or Union Army distributing mules in an altruistic act not connected with the execution of the order. The order was never concrete in nature, was never supported by any act or bill before congress, and did not even acquire Presidential approval prior to execustion. Johnson revoked the order after the assassination of President Lincoln. Sherman did not have the authority to grant land to any entities in the name of the United States of America.
(2) Was W.E.B. Du Bois in favor of or opposed to integration of blacks?
Answer: He was opposed to integration. Vehemently opposed, not surprisingly. He was vehemently opposed or in favor of most things. Vehemency typified his communication style. I told you he was a hero of mine, right?
(3) Was W.E.B. Du Bois in favor of or opposed to repatriation to Africa?
Answer: Vehemently opposed. Oddly enough, although Marcus Garvey (repatriation's chief proponent) never lived on the continent of Africa, W.E.B. Du Bois lived there for many years prior to his death—he was said to be the first citizen of Africa.
(4) How many blacks ("Negroes" at the time) were on the original board of the NAACP?
Answer: I don't know. I can't seem to find out (a deep, white secret? ). But I have read articles and letters written by Du Bois that stress his vehement frustration over the whiteness of composition in the leadership of the NAACP. I have written the NAACP a letter requesting the information. Perhaps they will respond. I tried not to be vehement.
(5) Why did W.E.B. Du Bois leave the NAACP and his long time editorship of Crisis?
Answer: Irresolvable ideological differences between the leadership and Du Bois; the most recent point of vehement contention at the tim e of his resignation being the NAACP's position of advocacy in favor of integration (see #2 above).
In case anyone was wondering whether there were answers.
Respectfully,
AuldSoul