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The Buffalo Soldiers in Vermont: �Exploring Perspective Through Primary Sources

Danielle Harris-Burnett

Museum Educator

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Vermont History Museum

Sees over 3,000 school visitors per year
Self-Guided Visits are free

Hands-on programs $3 per student

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The Buffalo Soldiers in Vermont

Refers to multiple all-Black military units, but specifically the 9^th and 10^th cavalry
Stationed at Fort Ethan Allen

1909-1913

The term “Buffalo Soldiers” describes several different military regiments, including the 9^th and 10^th. The Buffalo Soldiers were part of military campaigns during the war in the Philippines, the Spanish-American war, and Teddy Roosevelt’s rough riders. The 10^th cavalry was a skilled group of horsemen, they earned the nickname “the fighting 10^th” for their efforts. The 10^th cavalry took part in many military parades. Today we’re going to take a closer look at the time the 10^th cavalry spent in Vermont from 1909 to 1913.

The US military was segregated until 1948, meaning that soldiers were placed in regiments based on their race. President Eisenhower desegregated the military after WWII.

In 1909, the 10^th cavalry was stationed at Fort Ethan Allen in Winooski Vermont. They were the first all-Black cavalry to be stationed at the base. The 10^th cavalry faced discrimination in many of the other places that they were stationed. While Vermont has a reputation today as a very progressive state, this has not always been the case. The 10^th cavalry still faced discrimination when they came to Vermont. Many white residents in Burlington used racist arguments against their arrival. The newspapers didn’t help. Take a look at the headline from the Bennington Banner in 1909. Why would the newspaper say, “anxiety in the vicinity”? Do you think this is how they normally described a transfer at the Fort? Some white Vermonters wanted Vermont to introduce “Jim Crow” laws like the rest of the country. These are laws that segregate public spaces. Segregation did not become legal in Vermont. While the 10^th cavalry faced many difficulties living in Vermont, they also actively took part in public life. They rode their horses in parades and took part in local sports. Many members of the 10^th cavalry even made Vermont their permanent home.

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Addressing gaps in the record …

Surviving sources:

Newspapers
Census records
Photographs saved by families

What we don’t have (currently):

Diaries
Family photographs
Business records

One of the problems we encountered early on with this project was a lack of diversity in the types of primary sources we had access to. While there are large collections of sources on the 10^th cavalry nationally, there are relatively few sources saved about their time in Vermont. As such, many of the sources we use for this activity rely on Vermont newspapers, specifically the Burlington Free Press, Barre Daily Times, and Bennington Banner. Since this activity is aimed at older students, we wanted to integrate multidisciplinary thinking into the stations. We had students use census data to track changes in Vermont’s population from 1900 to 1920. We were also fortunate to use several photographs of the 10^th cavalry that are in the collection of the Fort Ethan Allen museum.

From each of these sources, there’s a glaring omission. We don’t have a lot of sources from the soldiers themselves! We want students to evaluate some of these gaps in the narrative, can we have a whole picture of a historical event if the main subjects voices aren’t heard? Over time, we will build out new aspects to this program as new data emerges. One of the most interesting findings from our research comes from a club developed by members of the 10^th in Winooski.

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Picking a Direction

IMLS funded project
Limited representation of the stories of Black Vermonters in the museum and programs

This hands-on program was funded thanks to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, our staff identified gaps in our historic interpretation at the museum, our hands on programs, and our educational website Vermont History Explorer. We were able to use the time to cover additional articles on the website, and two new hands-on history programs. By examining the time, the 10^th cavalry spent in Vermont from 1909-1913 we wanted to better understand the experiences of Black Vermonters at the turn of the century.

As a lesson, I wanted to focus more on the lived experiences of the 10^th cavalry than a military history program. One of my absolute aspects of research in this project actually stems from this map. At VHS we have a large collection of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, we use them a lot in our educational programing to examine change over time. This is a map of Winooski in 1909, and features a business known as the Hiawatha Club, which was established in 1909 as by a former member of the 10^th cavalry. The Hiawatha served as a social hub for members of the 10^th until it burned down in 1912. The presence of the club tells us a lot about how the 10^th cavalry established community in and around Winooski.

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C3 Standards

D2.His.3.6-8. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to analyze why they, and the developments they shaped, are seen as historically significant.
D2.His.6.6-8. Analyze how people’s perspectives influenced what information is available in the historical sources they created.
D2.His.10.6-8. Detect possible limitations in the historical record based on evidence collected from different kinds of historical sources.

All of our lesson plans at the Vermont Historical Society use the C3 framework to generate inquiry about historical sources:

For this program, students are looking at a group that had widespread impacts on employment equity and systemic racism, but we’re looking at a relatively quiet moment in their larger story. Why is it still important to look at historic moments that don’t have a clear immediate impact?

In this activity we look at sources that are clearly impacted by the perspective of their creator (newspaper articles) and sources that are less direct about their perspective. How can we identify bias in sources that we typically think of as neutral, such as maps and census records?

As previously mentioned, we are limited in this activity by the sources available, while we hope to close more of this gap over time, part of this activity involves students identifying where the limitations are, and how that impacts their understanding of a source.

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Bias in �Historic Sources

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Essential question: How can we use primary sources to learn about parts of history that have been intentionally left out or forgotten?

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Stations in the Program:

Census Graphing

1900, 1910, and 1920: What factors influence who moves to Vermont?

Home in Vermont

How did members of the 10^th cavalry and their families build community in Vermont?

Public Life

How did the 10^th cavalry participate in VT sporting events and parades?

Legacy of the 10^th Cavalry

How did Vermonters reflect on the 100^th anniversary of the 10^th Cavalry’s arrival in Vermont in 2009?

Station One: Vermont’s Population Have students explore Vermont census records from 1910 and 1900 to see the change in Vermont’s population before and after the arrival of the Buffalo soldiers. Students will then graph data from the 1890, 1900, 1910, and 1920 censuses to understand Vermont’s underlying racial inequities.
Station Two: Public Life Have students review newspaper clippings of some of the public events that the Buffalo soldiers took part in while living in Vermont. Students will examine concepts of narrative voice and how the Buffalo Soldiers were portrayed to Vermonters.
Station Three: Home in Vermont Have students examine newspaper clippings and postcards that show some members of the Buffalo Soldiers making Vermont a permanent home. Examine how the 10^th cavalry influenced a small sphere of Vermont Black owned businesses, and discussions around segregation.
Station Four: Legacy of the 10^th Cavalry Students will examine modern sources on the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers, and how some of the soldiers made Vermont their home.

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Rotate Through Each Station at Your Own Pace

Census Graphing

Home in Vermont

Public Life

Legacy of

the 10^th Cavalry

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Using primary sources to encourage dialogue about racial inequity

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A Student’s Sphere of Influence

Control: How students interpret racial inequity in historic sources
Influence: The questions asked during a class discussion
Concern: What students do with the information after the lesson

The Student’s Control

The Student’s Influence

The Student’s Concern

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Where can I find primary source albums ready to go?

TPS Vermont Group

Buffalo Soldiers resources from this workshop

https://tpsteachersnetwork.org/single-group/album/110868:the-10th-cavalry-in-vermont

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What topics/ lesson plans would you like to see from us?

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Q & A

Additional questions?

Danielle Harris-Burnett

museum.educator@vermonthistory.org

802-479-8524