54 pages • 1 hour read
Sutton E. GriggsImperium in Imperio
Sutton E. GriggsFiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1899A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Philosophical Context: Black Nationalism
Black nationalism is an ideology advocating for the empowerment of Black people through social, political, and economic means. Black nationalism posits that Black culture should be preserved by Black people in resistance to assimilation into white culture and to maintain Black identity. The means by which this is achieved varies widely depending on the person, group, and time period in which it is examined. Throughout history, some Black nationalists promoted the idea of all-Black universities, political parties, and employment and economic advancement for Black individuals; others argued for a return to Africa for the formation of a new nation or the reclamation of African land; and others argued for violent resistance and revolution against the US government. Perhaps the most famous example of Black nationalism is the Black Panther Party, a 1960s political organization in the US that founded social programs for education, food, and health for Black Americans while also utilizing violence in resistance to police corruption and de facto segregation.
Imperium in Imperio is considered one of the earliest novels to promote Black nationalism. Through the contrast of its two main characters—Belton and Bernard —the effects of systemic racism on the restriction of Black freedom and equality are explored, as well as privilege and corruption within Black communities. After both join the Imperium in Imperio, a separate Black government consisting of millions of members operating secretly in the US, there are two solutions offered to achieve racial equality. The first, promoted by Belton, is to continue showing white people that Black people are equals and, if that fails, moving to Texas to control their legislature through their voting power. The second, promoted by Bernard, is to overtake the US Navy and resist the government through violence and war, ultimately performing a hostile takeover of Texas. These ideas both present the idea of Black nationalism, wherein Black people unify to demand equality. The first uses peaceful tactics of persuasion and voting, while the other uses violent resistance—both of which were used during Black nationalist movements in American history.
Socio-Historical Context: Post-Civil War United States
Following the end of the American Civil War in 1865 and the passing of the 13th Amendment, Black Americans were declared “free” from enslavement and given such rights as owning property, education, employment, and, in the case of Black men, the right to vote. However, decades of struggle between newly freed Black Americans and their former white masters followed. Although “free,” Black Americans were subjugated by employment laws, voter laws, Black Codes, and Jim Crow Laws into the 1960s, which ensured that Black Americans continued to be treated as inferior to white citizens. These laws allowed for their arrest and incarceration, forced labor for minor infractions, the separation of their schools and facilities, restrictions on their right to conduct business and own land, and more. In response, the rise of Black nationalism and a resistance to these unjust laws grew. While the methods of resistance varied—from politics, to peaceful resistance, to violence—their goal was uniform in their effort to create equality and end the inferior treatment of Black Americans.
In Imperium in Imperio, Griggs argues that the situation for Black people at the turn of the 20th century had improved: they were physically free, but they continued to experience systemic racism. Throughout the novel, Belton experiences many forms of this racism, including his treatment in high school, a lack of job opportunities despite a college education, as well as being arrested, lynched, and shot for sitting in the white section of a church. Although these acts were technically illegal in the post-Civil War US, hate crimes continued, and law enforcement and the justice system ignored them.
While African Americans struggled for equality, the post-Civil War US government underwent a period of imperialism and expansion. Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the US and other powerful nations sought to expand through conquest and subjugation in what has now become known as New Imperialism. During this period, much of Africa and Asia were colonized. Starting with the purchase of Alaska in 1867, the US proceeded to annex Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Guam, and the Philippines before 1900, as well as focus its efforts on controlling the entire continental US.
This period of imperialism, occurring before and during the publishing of Imperium in Imperio in 1899, is reflected in the plans of the Imperium. Much like the US sought to expand its territory and influence, the underground Imperium grew in membership and accumulation of its wealth, ultimately garnering over 7,500,000 members and $850,000,000. Although Bernard and Belton’s plans for equality differed, they shared one key point: the annexation of Texas for Black American inhabitance and control. This goal mirrors US imperialism and expansion. By freeing themselves from the influence of the American government, they would be free to govern themselves openly.
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