McCabe Aimed to Lead Oklahoma as a Black-Led State
Edward McCabe was one of the first Black Americans elected to political office. His dream stretched far beyond holding public office. He wanted to create a state where Black people could lead themselves.
In the late 1800s, McCabe traveled to Washington, D.C. to ask President Benjamin Harrison to name him governor of Oklahoma Territory. His plan was bold. He would attract thousands of Black Americans to the area and help them govern a state made for and by Black people. But the request was denied.
A Life of Ambition and Leadership
Before his Oklahoma dream, McCabe had already proven himself as a political leader. He held public office in Kansas, serving first as county clerk and then as state auditor. He helped build Nicodemus, a town founded by Black pioneers searching for freedom and opportunity after the Civil War.
His ambition led him to Oklahoma in 1890, where he became one of the founders of Langston. This town later became home to Langston University, Oklahoma’s only historically Black college. Though his broader vision of a Black-majority state never came to life, his impact remains.
A Complex Legacy Full of Risk and Vision
Caleb Gayle, a Northeastern University professor, tells McCabe’s story in his new book Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State. Gayle says McCabe’s flaws and failures are just as important as his accomplishments.
“His rationale was deeply flawed,” Gayle said, “but he was gutsy and tried to lead.” Gayle highlights that McCabe’s story teaches us that leaders don’t have to be perfect. They just have to try.
Fighting Racism Until the End
McCabe never gave up the fight for justice. Toward the end of his life, he challenged Oklahoma’s Separate Coach Law, which segregated train passengers by race. The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the law was upheld.
Even in defeat, McCabe’s efforts made a mark. He used the tools available to him—law, land, and leadership—to push for a world where Black people could live with dignity and power.
Why McCabe’s Story Still Matters Today
Gayle says McCabe’s story is about more than one man’s dream. It reflects the hopes of a people seeking safety, freedom, and control of their future after slavery and Reconstruction.
The attempt to colonize Oklahoma “on behalf of Black people,” as Gayle puts it, shows both the brilliance and the blind spots in McCabe’s plan. It was a vision shaped by a complicated past, and it collided with other dreams—from poor white settlers to displaced Native peoples.
McCabe didn’t succeed in building a Black state. But he left behind a powerful example of what it means to try.
