Stranger in a Strange Land: An African American Response to the Frontier Tradition in Oscar Micheaux’s The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer

O SCA R M IC H E A U X (1884-1951). Black an d w h ite ph otograph . Courtesy African Diaspora Images Collection. “St r a n g e r in a St r a n g e La n d ”: An A f r ica n Am erican Resp o nse t o t h e Fr o n t ie r Tr ad it io n in O sca r M icheaux’s Th e C o n q u e s t : T h e S t o r y o f a N e g r o P io n e e r M. K. JOHNSON T h e M y th o f th e Fr o n tie r is ou r o ld e st an d m o st c h ar ac ­ ter ist ic m yth . . . . A c co r d in g to t h is m y th -h istoriograp h y , th e c o n q u e st o f t h e w ild er n ess an d t h e su b ju gat io n or d isp lace ­ m e n t o f t h e N a t iv e A m e r ic an s w h o or igin ally in h ab it e d it h av e b e e n t h e m e an s to ou r ach ie v e m e n t o f a n at io n al id e n ­ tity, a d e m o cr atic polity, an e v e r - e xp an d in g econ om y , an d a p h e n o m e n ally d y n am ic an d “p r o gr essiv e” civ ilizatio n . — R ic h a r d Slo t k in , G u n figh te r N at io n : T h e M y t h o f th e Fro n tie r in T w en tie t h -C en tu ry A m e ric a (1 9 9 2 ) A t t h e c o n st it u t io n al c o n v e n t io n s o f alm o st every w e st­ er n st at e , th e sin gle m o st p r essin g q u e st io n w as th e ad m is­ sio n or statu s o f t h e b lack p o p u lat io n . . . . Bo t h p r oslaver y an d an ti- slav er y d e le gate s v ie d w ith e ac h o t h e r in [in sistin g] . . . t h at e q u ality w as en tir e ly u n acce p t ab le to w h ite r esid en ts o f th e state s. — W illiam Lo r e n Katz, T h e B lack W est (1 9 8 7 ) H o r ace G r eeley , t h e reform er w h o u rged A m e r ic an s to “go W est, y o u n g m an ,” also in sisted t h at t h e ter rito r ies “sh all b e r eser v ed for t h e b en efit o f t h e w h ite C a u c a sia n r ace .” — W illiam Lo r e n Katz, T h e B lack W est (1 9 8 7 ) In L o n g B lack So n g: E ssay s in B lack A m erican Literatu re an d C u ltu re, H o u st o n Bak er Jr. co m m en t s t h at “w h en th e b lack A m e r...