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234 Acknowledgments The late Walter P. Herz, a lay historian living in Cincinnati, resurrected Peter H. Clark. A member of Clark’s Unitarian church, Walter was completely fascinated by the life Clark led, so he decided to tell the world about him. After retiring from another career, Walter spent more than ten years familiarizing himself with the literature, methods, and the discipline of History, and searching for primary sources by and about Clark. Despite the fact that no collection of Clark’s papers exists, he left no stone unturned in his research. I am grateful for the years of research time he saved me. When Walter approached me about coauthoring this project, I initially declined. Although I had mentioned Clark in my first book, I was not sure I shared Walter’s enthusiasm for him. Moreover, I was none too excited about coauthoring because I feared losing my voice and interpretation in the negotiations. Biography as a method also gave me reason to pause because I tend to privilege communities over individuals. Only after Walter gave me Clark’s 1873 Emancipation Day address to read did I reconsider my decision. Clark’s words penetrated me to my core and energized my passion for this era. I have never looked back. I realized that his life is a great way to tell a larger story about black radicalism and political and intellectual strivings in this period. Unfortunately, shortly after I agreed to do this project, Walter’s failing health prevented him from moving forward. I only hope that I have done Walter and Clark justice in these pages. The First Unitarian Church of Cincinnati (the same one Clark attended ) largely funded this book. Its minster, Reverend Sharon K. Dittmar, and congregation have been incredibly supportive of me and the project through the entire process. The church has provided funds at various stages of this research. I understand why it appealed to Clark and Walter. I also thank the History Department at the University of Cincinnati for supplementing production costs. Acknowledgments 235 I would like to thank the staff at the following archives and libraries for their generous assistance: the Library of Congress, Cincinnati Historical Society, Ohio Historical Society, Oberlin College Archives, Fisk University Special Collections, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. The late Beth Madison Howse, librarian at Fisk University Special Collections, was very generous with her assistance and patience. Dan Aren, librarian at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, not only helped me locate Volksfreund articles mentioning Clark, but translated them for me. It certainly pays to be in a city with fluent German speakers. Carrie Nelson provided me with copies of Clark’s correspondence that she stumbled upon at an estate sale in St. Louis decades ago. The historian in me wishes she had purchased more of his papers at that estate sale, but I am grateful for what she did buy. I encourage her to deposit the materials at an archive, where future historians can access them. Few academic presses want to publish books about black nationalistsocialists from Cincinnati, which is why I am eternally indebted to Dr. James Ramage and the other trustees and editorial staff at the University Press of Kentucky for agreeing to publish this book. In particular, I owe special thanks to Ashley S. Runyon, Acquisitions Editor and Development Coordinator, who believed in my vision and in me as a historian and made the appeal before the board. She has been very efficient, professional, and supportive throughout this process. My only hope is that this book lives up to all of our expectations. I am very fortunate to be at a good institution with outstanding colleagues , which is infinitely better than being at an outstanding institution with good colleagues. I would like to thank all of my UC Colleagues in the Departments of History and Africana Studies. Special thanks to Mark Lause, Shailaja Paik, John Brackett, Elizabeth Frierson, Carolette Norwood , Michele Reutter, Thabiti Asukile, Joseph Takougang, Willard Sunderland , Tracy Teslow, Faraha Norton, and Holly McGee. Several people have read this manuscript at different stages; most were too kind to let me know the worst. Mark Lause and I engaged in countless conversations about Cincinnati’s nineteenth-century radicals, socialists, and Spiritualists. He demonstrated great patience in helping me navigate Fourierism, the land-reform movement, and the nuances of the SLP. I am fortunate to have someone with his expertise literally two doors...

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