Teacher Materials

Materials and Preparation

Procedure

Student Materials

Background Readings

Worksheet for 1867 request to PAABBP

Worksheet for Still and White letters

Primary Sources

William Still letter, January 30, 1869
Jacob C. White Jr. letter, March 1, 1869
Report to the Pythian Base Ball Club, December 1867

Introduction

Pythian founder and team member, Octavius V. Catto, was a competitor both on and off the baseball field. He worked tirelessly in the years following the Civil War to break down racial barriers and to push for increased social and political rights for Philadelphia’s black community. For Catto and his fellow Pythian teammates, baseball was more than just a game; it was yet another playing field upon which African Americans could challenge and compete for equal participation and recognition. Catto’s Pythian ball club represented Philadelphia’s best and brightest and publicly demonstrated the talent, competitiveness, determination, and solidarity within the black community. This activity examines the formation of the Pythian club and explores the role that baseball played in the postbellum period. Students investigate the ways in which baseball built community ties, pushed racial boundaries, and established local and national networks of support. The primary-source material in this lesson also allows students to explore the difference of opinion among Philadelphia’s black leadership regarding the strategies employed to bring about social change and promote advancement within their community.

Materials

Background Reading

“Octavius Catto and the Pythians of Philadelphia,” by Jerrold Casway, in PennsylvaniaLegacies.

Procedure

Teachers may choose to have students read “Octavius Catto and the Pythians of Philadelphia” prior to beginning the activity or may choose to incorporate the reading into the activity.

Essential Questions

What role did baseball play in the postbellum period?

Why did William Still question the utility of forming black teams?

Why did Jacob C. White Jr. and Octavius Catto support and encourage the creation of the Pythian ball club?

1. Ask students to brainstorm major concerns of the black community immediately following the Civil War. Responses may include protecting freedom, acquiring legal rights such as voting or citizenship, finding employment, resettling, uniting with families, and obtaining an education. Discuss the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments.
2. Have students assess whether they would consider the formation of a black baseball team to be an important focus in the postbellum period. Introduce the Pythian baseball team organized by two African American intellectuals and community leaders, Jacob C. White Jr. and Octavius Catto. Draw upon the Legacies article to review the history of the team. Identify White and Catto as black leaders in the postbellum period and briefly discuss their involvement in Philadelphia’s black social and political organizations.
3. Distribute William Still’s letter to the Pythians, Jacob C. White’s response, and the document worksheet. Identify Still as an abolitionist who was actively involved in the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia during the antebellum period. Compare the ages of Still (1821–1902), Catto (1839–1871), and White (1837–1902) and have students consider how the antebellum experiences of these individuals might have shaped their activism and strategies following the Civil War. 
4. Review the document worksheet responses. Discuss the tone and perspective of the two letters. Review the list of needs the students brainstormed at the start of class and assess William Still’s criticism of the Pythians. 
5. Distribute the 1867 Pythian Base Ball Club report and the student worksheet. As a class, discuss the significance of the Pythian’s request for admittance into the Pennsylvania Association of Amateur Base Ball Players and its connection to segregation in the national association. Have students discuss why the Pythians withdrew their request for admittance before the PABBP voted on it. Responses might include: so that the Pythians or any other black team could reapply at a future date since there was no definitive ruling; or, to avoid a denial by the PABBP that would have been a demoralizing defeat for these players and activists. 
6. Students should generate a response from Jacob C. White to William Still that addresses his criticism of baseball as a “frivolous amusement.” Students should draw upon information provided in the background reading and the primary sources to provide at least two ways in which the Pythian team benefited the larger community. 
7. Ask students to share their letters. Points to emphasize include, baseball was:

1. a means of building community ties through the organization of picnics, dances, and other forms of entertainment that coincided with the games.
2. a way for individuals in various states to form bonds, connect, and discuss relevant social and political issues.
3. socially significant beyond the black community, providing a sense of inclusion in American society. Though teams were segregated, black teams challenged and played white teams and could prove their athletic ability through these matches.
4. another means of pushing for racial equality as African Americans challenged white teams, petitioned for admittance into the Pennsylvania Association of Amateur Base Ball Players, and gained recognition for their abilities.

Further Exploration:

Conduct additional research on the lives and activities of Octavius Catto, Jacob C. White Jr. and William Still. What other ways did these individuals contribute to Philadelphia’s African American community before and after the Civil War? Examine Philadelphia’s black elite before and after the Civil War.

Harry C. Silcox, “Philadelphia Negro Educator: Jacob C. White, Jr., 1837-1902." PMHB vol. 97 (75-98). 

Harry C. Silcox, “Nineteenth Century Philadelphia Black Militant:Octavius V. Catto (1839-1871).” Pennsylvania History. 44 (1977). No.1, 53-76.  

William Still and The Underground Railroad

Emma Jones Lapsansky, "'Discipline to the Mind': Philadelphia’s Banneker Institute, 1854-1872." PMHB Vol 117 (83-102).

Place the disagreement between Still and White in the larger context of the growing generational gap between black leaders in Philadelphia following the Civil War. An investigation into Still’s and Catto’s involvement in the desegregation of Philadelphia’s streetcars in the 1860s further illustrates this emerging rift as both shared the same intended goal, but were opposed in strategy and methodology. 

Philip S. Foner, The Battle to End Discrimination Against Negroes on Philadelphia Streetcars: (Part I) Background and Beginning of the Battle. Pennsylvania History. 40 (1973), no. 3, 261–291.
          
Philip S. Foner, The Battle to End Discrimination Against Negroes on Philadelphia Streetcars: (Part II) The Victory. Pennsylvania History 40 (1973), no. 4, 355–379.