A scholarly examination of the early efforts to persuade Congress to grant reparations to ex-slaves in the form of pensions. The essentials of the struggle could be summed up this way: In the late 19th century, an organization called the National Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty and Pension Association began efforts to petition the US Congress to legislate pension funds for the benefit of former slaves and their descendants. A subscription to the Association entitled members to various forms of aid from its own funds, as well as paying for the expenses associated with lobbying Congress to pay the debt the country owed to its formerly enslaved citizens. An early plan to grant freedmen plots of land confiscated from Southern plantation owners had been clobbered by President Johnson; in fact land that had been granted to some former slaves was taken back and returned to its original owners. Large numbers of freed slaves, many of them elderly and infirm, had no resources whatsoever, and were scarcely able to perform any work sufficient to support themselves.

A woman named Callie House was a driving force of the Ex-Slave Pension movement, which was perceived as such a threat that the Postal Service entered a fraud order against the group, cutting off its access to the US mail, and asserting that House and other officers were deceiving people, taking their money and using it for their personal benefit. No "due process" was involved. The rationale was that Congress was never going to grant the group's petition, so continued attempts to raise money to advance the cause were fraudulent.

The movement changed tactics, and attempted to pursue monetary damages through the Federal Courts, by suing the Treasury Department for funds that had supposedly been set aside from a cotton tax collected during the Civil War. This effort, too, was doomed to failure, but served to attract more supporters and to keep the cause alive well into the 20th century, despite the fact that many middle class black leaders (including Booker T. Washington) were dismissive and distanced themselves from it.

In 1917 Mrs. House was indicted for fraud, based on the use of the words "of the U.S.A." in the name of her organization, the government alleging that she misled people into thinking she had the backing of the U. S. government. She was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in jail. Following her release, she returned to domestic service and was no longer actively involved in the fight for reparations, but others stepped in to continue efforts, which continue to the present day.

This book illuminates an important aspect of race relations in this country, and it taught me several things I did not know (and reminded me of a few I had forgotten). It was not a particularly engaging read, however, being packed with names, dates, facts and figures. The author made no effort to bring Callie House to life. Because the same things kept happening over and over, reading got a bit tedious. As history, this is essential reporting. As narrative, unfortunately, it doesn't cut it. ( )