KERA's Think The U.S. state that could have been a Black utopia
Dec 10, 2025
Caleb Gayle, a journalist and author, explores the fascinating life of Edward McCabe, who aimed to establish a Black state in Oklahoma after the Reconstruction era. They discuss the debates surrounding Black migration and self-governance, highlighting McCabe's ambitions and struggles in politics. Gayle sheds light on the community-building efforts in Nicodemus, the challenges faced due to Jim Crow laws, and McCabe's later plans for emigration. His legacy continues to shape Oklahoma's Black communities, underscoring the importance of political power in the quest for freedom.
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Reconstruction Ideas Were Often For Whites
- After the Civil War many white leaders proposed sending Black people elsewhere rather than integrating them into American life.
- Caleb Gayle argues these schemes aimed to make America comfortable for white people, not to uplift Black lives.
Reconstruction Gains Were Fragile
- Early Reconstruction produced real political gains for Black people but those gains proved unstable and temporary.
- Gayle links the retrenchment to zero-sum white politics that echoed into later Jim Crow policies.
McCabe's Early Life And Ambition
- Edward McCabe grew up free, worked as a clerk on Wall Street, then moved to Chicago seeking broader opportunity.
- His Chicago experience taught him to sell a dream and see the American West as a place to build Black self-governance.
