Benjamin Arthur Quarles

Benjamin Arthur Quarles
Born	January 23, 1904 Boston, Massachusetts
Died	November 16, 1996 Baltimore, Maryland
Occupation	history professor
Nationality	American
Education	B.A., M.A., PhD
Alma mater	Shaw University University of Wisconsin–Madison
Notable works	The Negro in the Making of America
Notable awards	Rosenwald Fellowship (1938, 1945), Carnegie Corporation Advancement Teaching Fellowship (1944), Social Science Research Council Fellowship (1957), Guggenheim Fellowship (1959), Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History Lifetime Achievement Award(1996)
Spouse	Ruth Brett

Benjamin Arthur Quarles (January 23, 1904-November 16, 1996) was an African-American historian, administrator, scholar, educator, and writer. Major books by Quarles include The Negro in the American Revolution (1961), Black Abolitionists (1969), The Negro in the Civil War (1953), and Lincoln and the Negro (1962). They were narrative accounts of critical wartime episodes that focused on how blacks interacted with their white allies.

Background

Quarles was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His father was a subway porter. He married twice, first to Vera Bullock Quarles, who died in 1951, and secondly to Ruth Brett Quarles. He had two daughters, Pamela and Roberta.

In his twenties, Quarles enrolled at Shaw University and received his B.A. degree in 1931, M.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1933, and Ph.D. in 1940. He worked as an instructor of history at Shaw University, Raleigh, North Carolina (1935–39), a professor and dean at Dillard University, New Orleans, Louisiana (1939–1953), and a professor of history and chair of department at Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland (1953–1974). At Morgan, Quarles reached near-legendary status as the long-time head of the History Department, a revered teacher and counselor, an intellectual and professional mentor for two generations of African-American scholars. Many of his books were required reading in the African-American history courses that sprang up in eastern American universities during the 1960s.

He was an active member of many political and historical organizations such as Project Advisory Committee on Black Congress Members, Department of the Army Historical Advisory Committee, and American Council of Learned Societies. He was one of the few men in the profession who openly supported the founding of the Association of Black Women Historians.

Author

A prolific writer, Benjamin Quarles published ten books, 23 articles, and hundreds of shorter pieces of various sorts. In his writings, he focused on giving detailed attention to the contributions made by the black soldiers and abolitionists of the American Revolution and the Civil War. His writings include:

• The Negro in the American Revolution (1961)
• Lincoln and the Negro (1962)
• The Negro in the Making of America (1964)
• Fredrick Douglass (1968)
• The Negro in the Civil War (1968)
• Black Abolitionists (1969)
• Allies for Freedom (1974)
• Black Mosaic (1988)
• Moorg Against Tide & Patterns (Great Lives Observed) (2005)
• Blacks on John Brown

Legacy

Quarles died of a heart attack at the age of 92. In 1988 Morgan State University dedicated The Benjamin A. Quarles African-American Studies Room in the school library as a repository for his books, manuscripts, and memorabilia. On April 20, 2013, he was inducted into the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Inc. in Baltimore.

References

• BlackPast.org: Quarles, Benjamin A (1904-1996) [link accessed 2007-04-15]
• The African American Registry: Dedicated historian, Benjamin Quarles [link accessed 2007-04-15]
• Chickenbones: A journal, for Literary & Artistic African-American Themes: Benjamin Arthur Quarles [link accessed 2007-04-15]
• Find Articles: Benjamin A. Quarles, January 23, 1904-November 16, 1996 - specialist in African American history, and a mentor, a respected teacher who received many honors - reprinted from a tribute – Obituary [ link accessed 2007-04-15]