A Black Politician by Alice Morse Earle

Name: A Black Politician
Author: Alice Morse Earle

"A Black Politician" by Alice Morse Earle is a comic short story set in 1811 in the Narragansett region of Rhode Island, centered on Cuddymonk, a free Black man who has achieved the highest political office available to men of his race in that time and place: the elected position of "Black Gov'nor," chosen annually on "Nigger 'Lection Day." Cuddymonk is introduced as a wiry, golden-brown-skinned old man of mixed African and Native American ancestry, sitting contentedly outside his modest home near Lake Petaquamscut. He is a jack-of-all-trades — cobbler, tinker, fisherman, fiddler, farmhand — but identifies himself proudly as a politician above all else. He has been elected Black Governor three times, not through wealth, physical distinction, or military valor, but through the same means white politicians typically employ: shrewd campaigning, persuasion, and the cultivation of favor. His election days are depicted as festive community gatherings, with one such occasion memorably marred when the rolls of sheep's wool his wife had stuffed into oversized stockings to simulate muscular calves migrated to the front of his legs during his inauguration speech, to the jeering delight of his opponents. The story's central episode is set in motion when Constable Cranston arrives to arrest Cuddymonk for an unpaid debt of three dollars owed to a neighbor named Hazard over the matter of a runty pig that Cuddymonk insists he never truly agreed to pay for, arguing that the pig ate more in corn than it was worth when sold, and therefore the debt is nonexistent. His logic is tortured but delivered with absolute conviction and accompanied by his recurring political catchphrase: "Times nebber'll be good in dis country till..." followed by whatever economic or social reform happens to suit his present argument. Rather than resisting arrest outright, Cuddymonk embraces it with elaborate and maddening enthusiasm, packing an enormous bundle of possessions to bring to jail, insisting on taking his fiddle, prayer book, foot-stove, and boots stuffed with flax seed, and hobbling along so slowly — pleading severe rheumatism — that the constable is driven to distraction. Cuddymonk talks incessantly throughout the journey, dispensing philosophical opinions on economics, politics, witchcraft, and the wickedness of the late George Washington, whom he claims cursed Black people on his deathbed, a belief he reports as common knowledge among Narragansett's Black population. When they detour two miles off course to visit Colonel Gardiner's house so that Cuddymonk can collect five dollars owed to him for honeycomb, the constable expects the debt will finally be paid. Instead, Cuddymonk announces he intends to keep the money for his own comfort in jail, as it is not the pig-debt money and he sees no reason to confuse the two. The constable, increasingly humiliated and behind schedule, offers to pay the debt himself, then offers Cuddymonk money to simply go home. Cuddymonk refuses all bribes with theatrical nobility, citing his duty as Governor to uphold the law and set a good example — while making clear he also simply wants to see what a jail looks like. The encounter reaches its absurdist peak when Cuddymonk proposes that the constable dance on the bridge over running water as a charm for good luck in the upcoming election, in exchange for abandoning the jail trip. The flustered constable, having exhausted every other option, actually complies. As he dances, Cuddymonk secretly uses a hidden locust thorn to spook the constable's horse, which tears loose and bolts down the hill. Cuddymonk, his rheumatism suddenly and completely forgotten, watches the constable chase his horse on foot, then calmly tosses the thorn into the stream, sits down, takes out his fiddle, and plays with vigorous delight. He is eventually carried home by a passing wagon. The story closes the following morning with Cuddymonk replanting the potatoes that had been dug up and presented as evidence of his agricultural genius — they were in fact freshly planted the day before — and pronouncing once more that the political crisis of the nation will never be resolved until everyone gives up pigs and plants potatoes instead. The tale is a character study in comic defiance, depicting Cuddymonk as lazy, dishonest, and manipulative, but also genuinely shrewd, philosophically provocative, and consistently the victor in every exchange with white authority. Earle presents him with affectionate condescension typical of the era's local color fiction, yet the story's humor persistently works in Cuddymonk's favor, leaving the representative of legal authority foolish, defeated, and dancing on a bridge while his prisoner fiddles in the sun.

By Alice Morse Earle · First published 1898 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Satirical Fiction, Character Study · 5,482 words

First lines

On a bright June morning in the year 1811, old Cuddymonk sat in the cheerful sunlight at the open door of his house, on the banks of Lake Petaquamscut, in old Narragansett. Cuddymonk was a negro; but a Narragansett negro was, at that date, of almost another race than a Southern negro. He was free; he was usually respected and self-respecting; he might, and often did, own a house and farm of his own; and he had a certain independent social position which was far from being a despised one, for he enjoyed, with his rich white neighbors, who had been slave-owners, a friendly intimacy that was denied to a poor white man. He was, however, somewhat lazy, occasionally untruthful, and even dishonest -- like his Southern colored brother. Cuddymonk was a typical Narragansett negro -- sharp, shrewd, and in the main thrifty. He was deeply and consistently superstitious, and knew a thousand tales of ghosts and spirits and witches and Manitous, old traditions of African Voodooism and Indian pow-wows. He was profoundly learned in the meaning of dreams and omens and predictions, and he did not hesitate to practise -- or attempt to practise -- all kinds of witch-charms and "conjures" and "projects," though he was a member in good standing, as he proudly stated, of "de Pistikle Church."

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A Black Politician is listed on Textopian as a historical account by Alice Morse Earle, dated 1898 CE.

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Work type: Historical account
Author: Alice Morse Earle
Date: 1898 CE
Language: English
Genres: Historical Fiction, Satirical Fiction, Character Study, Humorous Fiction, Social Commentary
Length: 5,482 words
Structure: 1 section, 48 paragraphs
Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)

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Genres

Historical Fiction — The story is set in 1811 Narragansett and depicts a specific historical period and social structure of early 19th-century New England, with authentic period details and historical context.
Satirical Fiction — The work satirizes politics, politicians, and governance through Cuddymonk's character and behavior, mocking both the political process and the pretensions of elected officials.
Character Study — The narrative focuses extensively on Cuddymonk's personality, contradictions, philosophy, and social position, developing a detailed psychological and social portrait of the protagonist.
Humorous Fiction — The text employs comedic situations, dialect humor, physical comedy (such as the false calves incident), and witty repartee throughout the narrative.