Because Americans, like twelve black men in Arkansas in 1919, endured hardship, and individuals like President and Chief Justice Taft dedicated themselves to the constitutional rights of all Americans, more Americans today have the opportunity to be great.

We must dare to be great, and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage. — William H. Taft

Elaine, Arkansas, 1919. Black American sharecropper farmers were unsatisfied with the cotton crop payments they received from plantation owners who monopolized local agriculture during the Jim Crow era. The farmers met at a local church with the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America to consider joining to seek higher revenues. 

Union organizers arranged for armed individuals to surround the church and protect the farmers during the meeting. The individual who fired the first shot is unknown. A white security officer from the Missouri-Pacific railroad died in the encounter, and a white deputy sheriff was wounded. 

The following day, the local Phillips County, Arkansas, sheriff organized a posse to round up the black individuals. The posse turned into an armed mob of “500 to 1,000” white individuals, both locals and individuals from surrounding states. The mob took matters into their own hands, indiscriminately killing their black neighbors. The Governor of Arkansas requested support from the then Department of War (now Department of Defense), who sent 500 troops to restore order.

In restoring order, the troops locked local black residents in enclosures until their white neighbors vouched for them. 

The event became known as the Elaine Massacre. Five white individuals died. The official death tally of black Americans by the sheriff was 26. Historian Griffin Stockley estimated the black American death toll between 100 and 200. In On the Laps of Gods: The Red Summer of 1919 and the Struggle for Justice That Remade a Nation, Robert Whitaker estimated the number of black Americans who died at 856. 

The sheriff brought charges against twelve black men for the deaths of the five white individuals. A mob surrounded the courthouse during the trial, shouting that if the judge didn’t sentence the men to death, they would lynch them. After deliberating for less than ten minutes per man, the jury found them guilty; Judge J. M. Jackson sentenced them to death.

The ongoing legal battles lasted several years. Among other procedural shortfalls, the state had denied the twelve men access to defense lawyers. No matter, the US Supreme Court and different lower courts denied their appeals on multiple occasions. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) lawyers finally won an appeal, and the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. 

After serving as President of the United States, William H. Taft was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by President Warren G. Harding. Taft oversaw the Moore v. Dempsey (1923) case involving the twelve black men. The lawyers of the twelve argued the state had denied the plaintiffs due process and the appeals failed to correct the deficiencies of the initial trial. 

In the unanimous decision, the justices ruled federal courts had the authority to review state court decisions if the state denied defendants a fair trial. The justices further found the state refused the twelve individuals their Constitutional rights. This ruling now helps protect individual rights against mob justice and racial prejudice​​.

The twelve won their Supreme Court case, but the state case wasn’t over. The high court ordered a retrial. Instead, the Arkansas governor commuted their sentences, and Arkansas released the twelve men on parole. 

President and US Supreme Court Chief Justice Taft’s quote again - “We must dare to be great, and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage.”

We should piece this statement apart.

We must dare to be great…

As a legal scholar and dedicated national servant, William H. Taft chose words with intention. His background in law and governance influenced his precise and deliberate use of language. His use of the term “must” suggests a sense of obligation or imperative. This word reflects Taft’s understanding of leadership and public service responsibilities, implying that striving for greatness is necessary for society and one’s purpose.

Greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice…

High levels of success are not the result of luck or talent. Success is the outcome of persistent effort and the endurance of hardship and failure.

Taft’s perspective underscores the value of commitment and perseverance in pursuing ambitious goals.

And high courage.

Taft’s views of race were complex and racially biased. In 1906, he supported Jim Crow laws and expressed beliefs that African Americans were not ready to use the vote effectively. He described black Americans as “not having the mental stature of manhood.” 

Despite his racial views, Taft as Chief Justice believed all Americans had constitutional rights. Many Americans at the time, who accepted that black Americans couldn’t eat in the same restaurant, use the same water fountains, and use the same bathrooms, disagreed.

Taft and the Supreme Court justices of his court demonstrated courage to set the legal precedent that, despite their distaste, black Americans had the same constitutional rights as white Americans.

It was not courageous of Taft to think lowly of black Americans. That was cowardice.

It was courageous of Taft’s court to accept their views of race were wrong, and demonstrate the fortitude to transcend personal biases to uphold broader principles of liberty and equality.

We won’t all achieve society’s view of greatness. We don’t all start from the same starting line. The fastest, strongest, or smartest don’t always win the race. Time and chance happen to everyone. Some choose not even to compete.

Some are unwilling or unable to make the effort or sacrifice. A sick child or sick parent might be a higher priority.

Some willing to make the effort might face nearly unsurmountable challenges because of their circumstances. Growing up in poverty presents challenges most don’t overcome. 

However, individual Americans decide their potential in life, not by choosing where to end up but by choosing when to quit. This decision is not due to the status of your birth. And even if we don’t achieve society’s view of greatness, we can be great for our communities and those we love around us. We can be great by choosing to help others.

Because Americans, like twelve black men in Arkansas in 1919, endured hardship, and individuals like President and Chief Justice Taft dedicated themselves to the constitutional rights of all Americans, more Americans today have the opportunity to be great.

May God bless the United States of America.

Get full access to I Believe at joelkdouglas.substack.com/subscribe