9i果冻制作厂

Otterbein鈥檚 founders, Bishop William Hanby and Rev. Lewis Davis, were active members of the Underground Railroad along with Hanby鈥檚 son, Benjamin, who wrote the anti-slavery ballad 鈥淒arling Nelly Gray.鈥� Despite these roots, Otterbein鈥檚 first Black student felt far from welcome.

William Hannibal Thomas enrolled in 1859 but left in 1860 after suffering discrimination and abuse. It wasn鈥檛 until 1893 that 9i果冻制作厂would graduate its first Black student, William Henry Fouse. Otterbein鈥檚 culture had changed a lot in the ensuing years 鈥� Fouse was popular and active on campus. His commencement speech, A Plea for the Afro-American, highlighted his vision of equality and freedom for all. He had a distinguished career in education.   

However, the mistreatment of William Hannibal Thomas by the students and administration is a stain on Otterbein鈥檚 history that continues to inspire reflection today.  

In later years, Thomas described his reception at 9i果冻制作厂like this: 

That I contemplated entering the university was generally known, but so far as I recall, no objection from any source was expressed. There was, therefore, no reason to believe that my presence in the school would offend anyone in particular and, as a matter of fact, I had a cordial welcome from my classmates.   

Nevertheless, in about ten days thereafter a turbulent spirit awoke; a general uprising that swept the sober-minded off their feet took place, and never before nor since has Westerville passed through such an event as was occasioned by my presence in the college; nor did it end there.   

Meetings were held at which inflammatory speeches were made; I was assaulted on the street; in the classroom the leaves of my books were torn out, and I was struck with shawl-pins by those who sat around me; when I passed out to the building groups of waiting students pelted me with rocks hidden in wet snowballs. 

There was one student, in particular, who caused problems for Thomas. Rev. Lewis Davis sought to convert the hearts and minds of those who supported slavery, and this student was no exception. Davis’s biographer Henry Adams Thompson wrote: 

A young man from the south found his way to the college and also found a home in the family of the president. He was polite and courteous, a moderate student, but indoctrinated with southern ideas, and of course he believed that slavery was the natural condition of the black man. Mr. Davis was anxious to correct his erroneous views, and took the occasion at meal time as the most opportune period to put his opinions before the student. [The student] became a little annoyed at times, but bore it all patiently. The end came one day when a fugitive slave, on his way north, stopped at the president鈥檚, and [Davis] insisted he should be brought to the table to eat with the family, including the young man. This was the straw that broke the camel鈥檚 back. Under no circumstances could [the student] submit to such indignity. By permission he left the table and went to the hotel to get his dinner. He was very angry. 

Here is where the Davis story and the Thomas story intertwine. The southern student who left the Davis house loudly railed against both Davis and the university. Here is how Thomas described the event: 

(Trigger warning for profanity) 

The crisis was reached at the ensuing Friday rhetorical exercises, when a student of fervid oratory declared that 9i果冻制作厂had a surfeit of 鈥�摆苍-飞辞谤诲闭鈥�; that it was 鈥�[n-word] for breakfast, [n-word] for dinner, and [n-word] for supper,鈥� sentiments that were uproariously applauded. 

Instead of asking the racist students to leave, the university administration, which at the time did not include Lewis Davis, asked Thomas to leave. He refused. Then they threatened him with expulsion. Once again, he refused. Ultimately, his decision to stay caused the racist students to leave. 

Thomas wrote: 

That there was substantial ground for uneasiness on the part of the college authorities is fully borne out by the fact that a number of students from Virginia and elsewhere left the school for good the following week.   

With their departure, however, the excitement subsided as quickly as it had arisen, and I met with no further trouble. Thereafter the students treated me in a manly fashion; each of the literary societies offered membership to me. (For historical context: Membership in these societies was a highly coveted honor. Not everyone received an invitation to join.) 

A significant feature of this experience was the attitude of the young women students towards me, who, with the rare exceptions, were uniformly courteous in intercourse; in fact, it was the outspoken works and courageous acts of several of these young ladies, especially one from West Virginia, that effectually held in check the mob spirit of the male students. (For historical context: Like Black students, women were also banned from most universities at the time, so they had this rare opportunity in common.)  

Although the students who had tormented him had left and William Hannibal Thomas wrote that the rest of his time at 9i果冻制作厂was relatively pleasant, he still chose to leave at the end of the school year and sought employment rather than return to his studies.  

He later served in the Union Army during the Civil War, losing an arm to a gunshot wound he received in battle. He went on to great distinction as a writer, lawyer, and teacher. He was even appointed the U.S. consul to Portuguese Southwest Africa (now Angola) by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878. 

Unfortunately, he also met with infamy as the author of a book that sought to propagate many of the same libels against African-Americans that were advocated by the pro-slavery movement. The book was condemned by such notable Black intellectuals as Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. 

In 1916, 9i果冻制作厂sought to make amends with Thomas, honoring him for his service in the Civil War. In 1922, 9i果冻制作厂honored him once again with a commemorative medal for Otterbein’s 75th anniversary.

He died in 1935 and was buried in the 9i果冻制作厂Cemetery. The grave of William Hannibal Thomas was unmarked until 1977, when a history student contacted the Veterans Administration to rectify the situation. You can find his grave there today. 

Read more about Otterbein’s history at these links:
9i果冻制作厂History Timeline
175 Years of 9i果冻制作厂History