User:Bakedbread00/Imperium in Imperio

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Imperium in Imperio is a historical fiction novel by Sutton E. Griggs, published in 1899. The novel covers the life of Belton Piedmont, an educated and disciplined black man in the Jim Crow south and his role in a shadow government of black men operated out of a college in Waco, Texas. Imperium in Imperio explores themes of Black imperialism and race conservation. It is Griggs' first and most notable novel and his only work currently in print.

Characters

 * Belton Piedmont – An educated black man and member of the Imperium. Belton is acutely aware of racial discrimination for the whole of his life, but ultimately chooses to pursue integration and advocates peace. He is modeled on Booker T. Washington.


 * Bernard Belgrave – A schoolmate of Belton's and member of the Imperium. Contrasting with Belton, Bernard is much more militant and strongly advocates a military takeover of Texas.

Black Imperialism
Imperium in Imperio was written during a period when America subscribed to an imperialist agenda and actively sought an empire overseas. Many African American authors used this time of U.S. expansion to open conversations about Jim Crow and the discrimination Black people faced. Sutton E. Griggs in particular used his work to speak directly to Black Americans, in contrast to his more mainstream counterparts. For example, a central focus of Imperium is the idea of a mass migration of Black Americans to Texas, followed by a political takeover of the state. This, coupled with Texas' rich history of acquisition, allows for a direct parallel between Black Americans expanding their home empire at the same time the U.S. expands overseas. The novel further demonstrates this through Belton's and Bernard's opposing viewpoints. Belton proposes that the Imperium should still remain as a part of the U.S. while still running independent operations, while Bernard advocates for an all-out race war so that African Americans succeed completely to build their own empire.

Race Conservation
A key turning point in Imperium in Imperio is the suicide of Bernard's love interest, Viola. She kills herself following his marriage proposal, claiming that race mixing was causing the extermination of the Negro race. During her life, Viola made efforts to dissuade her peers to not date outside of the race, and as a dying plea, she begs Bernard to uphold her convictions.

While Viola attempted to solve the issue of miscegenation by working through individuals, Bernard sought to do so on a community-wide scale. He believed that in the Imperium's fight for sovereignty over Texas, the impending race war would also serve to effectively limit race mixing and thus further uplift the Black race. This serves as another contrast to Belton, who believed that the Imperium could function in tandem with the U.S. rather than taking power through violent means.

Imperium in Imperio and Afrofuturism
Imperium in Imperio is considered to be a key precursor to Afrofuturism. The novel's depiction of a budding revolution and the formation of a Black utopia puts it amongst the first in the genre. An important feature of Afrofuturistic works is the literary blending of the past and future. Melissa A. Wright, in the Journal of Black Studies, analyzes that Imperium in Imperio's secret Black secret society "presents a suspended space time in which innovative alternatives to governance including wealth redistribution, can be imagined in the controlled environment of the narrative laboratory."