Article Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "pk": 57871,
    "title": "Forgotten First: Macon Bolling Allen and the Journey to Becoming America's First Black Attorney",
    "subtitle": null,
    "abstract": "This article seeks to remove the shroud of mystery from this overlooked chapter in the annals of the legal profession. Section I of the article looks at Macon Bolling Allen’s humble beginnings. Section II examines standards for bar admission during the first half of the nineteenth century. Section III of the article looks at why Maine seemed to have been the most hospitable site for Macon Bolling Allen’s unprecedented attempt to become a lawyer, including Allen’s fortuitous backing by noted Maine abolitionist attorney Samuel Fessenden. Section IV looks at the historic admission itself, analyzing the setbacks and opposition that Allen had to overcome. Finally, Section V examines the aftermath of Allen’s triumphant achievement. His tenure in Maine rendered short-lived by uncertain financial prospects, and Allen relocated to Massachusetts in search of greener pastures. After gaining admission to the bar there in 1845, Allen carved out a precarious professional existence in the Boston area until 1868, when he moved to Charleston, South Carolina.\nThe story of Macon Bolling Allen’s quest to become a lawyer is a critical narrative for understanding the challenges that Black lawyers still face today. While nearly fourteen percent of the American population is Black, only about five percent of its lawyers are Black. Beginning with Allen’s admission to the Maine bar in 1844, Black Americans thrust themselves into the fight against racism, and their very presence sent a powerful message. Allen’s journey also illustrates another theme that resonates today—the importance of white allies in working to achieve equality in and under the legal system. At a time in our nation’s history when teaching about Black history and the contributions of hitherto-unnoticed Black pioneers like Macon Bolling Allen is under threat, it is more important than ever to appreciate our “forgotten firsts.”",
    "language": "en",
    "license": {
        "name": "",
        "short_name": "",
        "text": null,
        "url": ""
    },
    "keywords": [],
    "section": "Articles",
    "is_remote": true,
    "remote_url": "https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9r21j1s3",
    "frozenauthors": [
        {
            "first_name": "John",
            "middle_name": "G.",
            "last_name": "Browning",
            "name_suffix": "",
            "institution": "",
            "department": ""
        }
    ],
    "date_submitted": "2025-07-24T22:08:01Z",
    "date_accepted": "2025-07-24T22:08:01Z",
    "date_published": "2025-01-01T00:00:00Z",
    "render_galley": null,
    "galleys": [
        {
            "label": "",
            "type": "pdf",
            "path": "https://journalpub.escholarship.org/uclalaw_nblj/article/57871/galley/44049/download/"
        }
    ]
}