Records of the Cuban Summer School

Dating from 1900 to 1902, the Records of the Cuban Summer School document the immense planning and coordination required to make the Cuban Summer School at Harvard possible, the structure and content of the summer school curriculum, and how the Cuban teachers were received by residents of Boston. To a lesser extent the records also touch upon the personal experiences of the Cuban teachers. A byproduct of the Spanish-American War, the records offer insight into American imperialism at the turn of the century and the history of relations between Cuba and the United States.

The largest portion of the records was produced by the Cuban Teachers Department for Harvard University which organized, planned, and managed the Cuban Summer School of 1900. Headed by Cuban Summer School business manager Clarence C. Mann (AB 1899) the department operated out of Holden Chapel and served as the business and information center of the expedition. The department was staffed by Harvard students, alumni, and volunteers. The department administrative materials consist of letters, correspondence, contracts, financial documents, and forms related to arranging transportation, housing, instruction, food, salaries, excursions, and entertainment for the Cuban teachers.

Much of the correspondence is addressed to or from Clarence C. Mann who oversaw the logistics of the summer school which included soliciting and approving instructors, chaperones, guides, residential hosts, and translators. Letters and applications document the candidates who were interested, accepted, or rejected to serve in these roles.

Mann also negotiated business contracts and field trip sites for the Cuban teachers. Letters and contracts document bids to provide laundry service, railroad transportation, food, furniture, and baggage transportation for the summer school. These materials offer insight into the names and locations of Boston businesses within these industries. Mann contacted multiple factories within the Cambridge area to arrange educational site visits including the National Biscuit Company, Lever Brothers Limited Boston Works, Ginn and Company Publishers, and American Net and Twine Company.

Correspondence between Mann, Harvard President Charles Eliot, and Harvard Librarian William C. Lane, who oversaw the Cuban Summer School program in Eliot’s absence, discuss various conflicts and issues that occurred during the summer school. Of note is an outcry from local Catholic societies after a Baptist organization was approved to sponsor an event for the Cuban teachers. Other incidents include sick or hospitalized Cuban teachers, stolen Cuban Summer School identification pins, and harassment complaints against a Cuban teacher.

Participants in the Cuban Summer School had a full schedule of activities which included classes, field trips, meals, and nightly receptions. Schedules, calendars, and timetables detail the daily activities of the Cuban teachers and their departure and arrival times at certain locations and train stations. The intensity of the schedule was tiring for some Cuban teachers and their participation declined as the summer school continued which is illustrated by class attendance records. Insight into the personal experiences of Cuban teachers during the summer school are best illustrated through the volume “Autographs and testimonials of students, 1900.”

Dormitory permits document which Harvard students volunteered their dorm rooms as housing for the male Cuban teachers and whether they also agreed to lend their beds, towels, and chamber sets. The permits are occasionally paired with letters from students further explaining their consent or concerns. Materials related to off-campus housing for the women Cuban teachers include host housing agreements with compensation amounts and letters addressing housing conflicts and conditions. Housing standards for the women Cuban teachers were high and hosts who did not meet requested requirements were dropped.

The records also document the financial activities of the Cuban Teachers Department and its various expenditures and proceeds. These records include account and receipt books regarding payment from the Cuban teachers for textbooks and general deposit. Salary vouchers and receipts document salary payments to the Cuban teachers, who were compensated during their stay in the United States. Receipts also detail salary and compensation to Cuban Summer School instructors, office staff, and those who hosted the Cuban teachers in their home or dorm room. Bills document the purchase of items and services for the summer school including painted signs, an ambulance, and stenography.

Photographs include large group shots of Cuban Summer School participants, staff, and government officials such as Alexander Everett Frye and General Leonard Wood. Two photographs of students and instructors from the second Cuban Summer School held in 1901 are also found in the records. Memorabilia includes a flag of the United States and a souvenir scrapbook.