Merze Tate
Encyclopedia
Merze Tate was a professor, scholar and expert on United States diplomacy
. She was the first African American
graduate of Western Michigan Teachers College, first African American woman to attend the University of Oxford
, first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in government and international relations from Harvard University
(then Radcliffe College
), as well as one of the first two female members to join the Department of History at Howard University
.
, Michigan
. Her great-grandparents migrated to Michigan from Ohio
after receiving land through the Homestead Act
. Merze began attending Rolland Township Elementary School Number Five, which was located on land owned by her family. At age 13 she entered Blanchard High School. This high school was destroyed by fire and students had to attend makeshift classrooms in area buildings. Due to inadequate educational facilities, students graduated at the end of the tenth grade. Merze Tate was the youngest and only African-American graduate in her class and was selected valedictorian. This however, was not satisfactory for college entrance, so Merze enrolled in Battle Creek High School where she maintained a straight-A average. Because she was only enrolled in the school for two years she could not be class valedictorian. She did win the Hynman Oratorical Contest which included an award of $50. After graduation Merze applied to Western State Teachers College (now Western Michigan University
) and was awarded a tuition scholarship.
. During this time she continued her education by taking correspondence courses and returned to Western Michigan to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree in three years while maintaining the highest grade average of her classmates. In 1927 she became the first African-American to earn a Bachelor's degree from the institution. She was also elected to the national social science honor society, Phi Gamma Mu.
Despite her excellent academic career, Tate could not find employment in the state. At that time, Michigan would not hire African-American teachers in its secondary schools. Tate received assistance from administrators at Western Michigan and was able to find a teaching position at Crispus Attucks High School
in Indianapolis, Indiana
, Indiana
.
Later in her life, she was a world traveler and international correspondent for an African-American publication. She always traveled with a military escort which, along with her press pass, gained her entry to many difficult to access locations. She visited the White House
annually (including meetings with Eleanor Roosevelt
) and attended the 1932 Summer Olympics
in Los Angeles. She is rumored to have been a spy for the U.S. and many of the State Department
documents about her remain classified. The documents may also be classified because they contain details on foreign weapon systems, information related to her disarmament expertise.
She never married and never had children. None of her siblings had children either. She did not participate in the race relations struggle and never allowed her race to prevent her from reaching her goals.
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
. She was the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
graduate of Western Michigan Teachers College, first African American woman to attend the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in government and international relations from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(then Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
), as well as one of the first two female members to join the Department of History at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
.
Early life
Tate was born February 9, 1905 in rural BlanchardRolland Township, Michigan
Rolland Township is a civil township of Isabella County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,210 at the 2000 census.-Communities:...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Her great-grandparents migrated to Michigan from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
after receiving land through the Homestead Act
Homestead Act
A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....
. Merze began attending Rolland Township Elementary School Number Five, which was located on land owned by her family. At age 13 she entered Blanchard High School. This high school was destroyed by fire and students had to attend makeshift classrooms in area buildings. Due to inadequate educational facilities, students graduated at the end of the tenth grade. Merze Tate was the youngest and only African-American graduate in her class and was selected valedictorian. This however, was not satisfactory for college entrance, so Merze enrolled in Battle Creek High School where she maintained a straight-A average. Because she was only enrolled in the school for two years she could not be class valedictorian. She did win the Hynman Oratorical Contest which included an award of $50. After graduation Merze applied to Western State Teachers College (now Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
) and was awarded a tuition scholarship.
Higher Education and Career
After completed the teacher's training program at Western Michigan Teacher's College, Tate taught at an elementary school in Cass CountyCass County, Michigan
Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 51,104. It is part of the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area which has a total population of 316,663 and is sometimes considered part of Greater Michiana...
. During this time she continued her education by taking correspondence courses and returned to Western Michigan to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree in three years while maintaining the highest grade average of her classmates. In 1927 she became the first African-American to earn a Bachelor's degree from the institution. She was also elected to the national social science honor society, Phi Gamma Mu.
Despite her excellent academic career, Tate could not find employment in the state. At that time, Michigan would not hire African-American teachers in its secondary schools. Tate received assistance from administrators at Western Michigan and was able to find a teaching position at Crispus Attucks High School
Crispus Attucks High School
Crispus Attucks High School of Indianapolis Public Schools in Indianapolis, Indiana is named for Crispus Attucks , a black laborer killed at the Boston Massacre whom many regarded as a revolutionary leader...
in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
.
Later in her life, she was a world traveler and international correspondent for an African-American publication. She always traveled with a military escort which, along with her press pass, gained her entry to many difficult to access locations. She visited the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
annually (including meetings with Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
) and attended the 1932 Summer Olympics
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...
in Los Angeles. She is rumored to have been a spy for the U.S. and many of the State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
documents about her remain classified. The documents may also be classified because they contain details on foreign weapon systems, information related to her disarmament expertise.
She never married and never had children. None of her siblings had children either. She did not participate in the race relations struggle and never allowed her race to prevent her from reaching her goals.
Publications
- "Australia and Self-Determination for New Guinea." The Australian Journal of Politics and History 17 (August 1971): 246-59.
- "Recent Constitutional Developments in Papua and New Guinea." Pacific Affairs 44 (Fall 1971): 421-27.
- The United States and the Hawai'ian Kingdom: A Political History (New Haven, 1965)
- The United States and Armaments (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1948)
- The Disarmament Illusion: The Movement for a Limitation of Armaments to 1907 (New York:MacMillan ad Co., 1942)
- Hawaii: Reciprocity Or Annexation ( Michigan State University Press, 1968)
Awards and honors
- American Historical Association Award for Scholarly Distinction, 1991
- Inducted into Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, 1991
- Distinguished Alumnus Award, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, 1981
- Graduate Society Award, Harvard and Radcliffe, 1954