ABSTRACT
At the turn of the twentieth century, scholars and politicians alike were wrestling with a new America. Reconstruction had ended, and race relations were coming to the fore of the national conversation. Sociologists and politicians were embroiled in contentious discussions that would shape the nation’s future development. Amidst the controversies were the egregious theories perpetuating the belief that persons of the Negro 1 race were intellectually inferior and thus, not deserving of full rights and equal opportunities alongside their White peers in American society (Thomas, 1982). Entering this dialogue were a small group of Black scholars, some supported by White mentors who themselves joined the cause of disproving theories of racial inferiority. These theories presupposed that individuals, based on their skin color and Negro bloodline, were incapable of reaching the upper limits of mental ability ascribed to gifted individuals.
