[AFRICAN AMERICANA]. [RACISM]. [CARROLL, Charles, editor]. American League Promoted for the Purification, Elevation, and Protection of American Civilization. St. Louis, MO: [American League], June 1904. Staple-bound newsletter/magazine. Self-wrappered brown paper. 16 pp. 

Some toning, rubbing, faint wrinkling, one horizontal crease at center, some minor soiling, marginal creases at lower corners. Still, a fine example of this scarce item. A profoundly disturbing and rare example of institutional racism from the early 20th century, this inaugural issue of American League promotes pseudoscientific white supremacist ideology under the guise of "civilization preservation." The most infamous and offensive feature of the publication is the side-by- side image of a Black woman and a gorilla with the caption “Note the Resemblance”, along with quotes from so-called experts of the day, including Wyman, Haeckel, and Winchel—who falsely argued the biological inferiority of African Americans. Issued in St. Louis in 1904 during a time of rising Jim Crow laws and eugenics discourse, the magazine reflects the deep-seated racism and pseudo- anthropology that were gaining traction in American political and social spheres. It likely had limited distribution and today serves as a chilling historical artifact of hate propaganda masquerading as science and civic duty.