Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2013/Spring/Dr. Rufus Samuel Vass

This page is connected with English 105 at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill - Federal Writers' Project - Life Histories



Overview:
Dr. Rufus Samuel Vass (May 23rd, 1887 - June 4th, 1957) was an African American doctor during the early 1900s, and Captain of the Medical Corps during World War I. Following the War, Dr. Vass, with the help of his wife, helped to serve the African American population in and around Smithfield, North Carolina. He was interviewed in July of 1939 as a part of the Federal Writers' Project.

Early Life
Dr. Rufus Samuel Vass was an African American born in Raleigh, N.C. on May 23rd, 1887, to Samuel Nathaniel and Eliza Haywood Vass. After he received his college education from Shaw University, he enrolled in the Leonard Medical School at Shaw, obtaining his M.D. degree in 1912. His medical career, which began in Smithfield, North Carolina, was interrupted when he joined the United States Army in 1917. He trained at Fort Des Moines and soon became the Captain of the Medical Corps. Leaving for France as a member of the 368th Hospital Unit of the 92nd division, Dr. Vass served in Argonne and Vosges. Following the war, he married Luatle Jeffries in 1920. Luatle's mother had been a slave until the end of the American Civil War; however, she and her two sisters managed to receive college educations at Shaw University. Luatle was Dr. Vass' secretary and nurse at his home office in Smithfield after the war.

Adult Life
Although Dr. Vass lived in a time during which African Americans were treated unequally, he and his wife owned a very large home with nine rooms and fine furnishings. He had many patients, most of whom came to his home for treatment, while those who were too sick received a personal in-home visit by Dr. Vass himself. However, Dr. Vass' fortune was unlike that of his friends, many of whom worked labor jobs in Raleigh, North Carolina. Dr. Vass mentioned that the pay his friends earned was much less than what whites received for doing the same work. His outlook, however, was very positive. He believed that in the future, whites and blacks would be able to live side by side, respecting one another's culture and receiving equal opportunity.

History of the Federal Writers' Project:
The Federal Writers Project (FWP) was created in order to provide writers with jobs during the Great Depression. Cramer, author of “The Federal Writers Project. Work Relief that Preserved a National Resource,” mentions that, “In 1929, American publishers had earned approximately $42 million in sales of trade books, but just four years later earnings had shrunk to $22 million," showing writers' desperate need of jobs. The FWP was formed in 1935.  Interviews were held across the United States by writers and artists, recording the life stories of people who would have been lost in history.

Historical Production
Many of the life stories held and preserved throughout the United States seem as if they were written by the interviewees themselves; however, they were written by employees of the Federal Writers' Project. Many of the employees of the FWP were fictional writers prior to the Great Depression, leading some to question the validity of the life histories. Rapport, author of "How Valid Are the Federal Writers' Project Life Stories: An Iconoclast among the True Believers," states that, "Persons who consider themselves writers, or who are told they are writers, in their heart of hearts begin to think of themselves as creative writers, and, most likely, in the innermost adytum, potential fiction writers." Rapport also states that, "If a writer is good at observing physical details but weak in imaginative understanding, or vice versa, his work will inevitably reflect the fact. Thus standards of "authenticity" differ somewhat with the different writers." Therefore, it impossible to validate many of the life histories because the authors had different methods of inserting fictional elements. The life history of Dr. Vass, however, lacks many of the signs of historical production present in most other life histories. His life history is written entirely of quotes, leaving no room for the author to insert fictional characteristics.

Availability of Education
The availability of education in the late 1800s and early 1900s differed greatly between the black and white populations. The budget available for black public schools, especially universities, was only a fraction of what was available to white public schools. Research done by the N.E.A. in 1928 showed that the North Carolina budget for public education "in 1928 was $2,448,633,561, of which $13,000,000, or 1.8 percent, was spent on Negro schools." With a budget of only $13 million, it was impossible for black public schools to hire the qualified teachers and buy teaching resources necessary to educate thousands of black students, giving whites an unfair advantage in a world where education was becoming increasingly important. Many black were also forced to pay their own way through college, leaving those who lack the appropriate funds behind. Although some scholarships were available, they were only given to the "capable and ambitious pupil." Dr. Vass and his family were rare exceptions, most of whom could afford a college degree from Shaw University at Raleigh.

Unequal Treatment in the Workplace
In the early 1900s, forty years after the abolition of slavery, blacks continued to receive unequal treatment in the workplace. When a black man found a job, he often received almost half the wages of a white man working the same job. During his interview for the Federal Writers' Project, Dr. Vass stated, "I simply cannot see why a white man should be paid $18 per week for the very same work that a Negro is paid $10 per week. That is exactly what is being done in Raleigh." Although this was said regarding black labor workers, even doctors who managed to receive a college degree were unfairly treated in the workplace. While many black doctors were self employed and therefore not discriminated against by a boss, white doctors were highly preferred over black doctors. According to Watson, author of Against the Odds, only 12 percent of both whites and blacks reported going to a black physician when in need of medical care. The remaining 88 percent of patients, both blacks and whites alike, preferred to see a white physician over a black physician. Therefore, many black doctors made much less money than white doctors of the same qualifications.