Results: The Black Passenger on Titanic (Part 1 of 3)
Published on 01/20/2024
Many people are aware of the 1912 sinking of the luxury liner RMS Titanic. When the "unsinkable" ship struck an iceberg and sank, two-thirds of the passengers were killed. Less well known, is the story of the Black man traveling as a Second Class passenger with his family. His narrative was largely forgotten until it was featured in a Titanic exhibit in Chicago in 2000.
QUESTIONS
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Comments
1.
1.
Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche was born in Haiti in 1889. From a prominent family (descendents of one of the founding fathers), his uncle Cincinnatus Leconte was the President of Haiti. Joseph was a brilliant student, educated by private tutors. Have you ever used the services of a paid tutor?
Yes, I have.
11%
246 votes
No, I have not.
72%
1589 votes
I have been paid to tutor someone.
6%
133 votes
N/A
13%
285 votes
2.
2.
At only 15, Joseph traveled to France with one of his tutors, the Lord Bishop of Haiti, to continue his education in Beauvais. He got a degree in Engineering a few years later. Would you have been willing to travel to and live in another country without family or friends at 15?
Yes
14%
309 votes
Maybe
27%
604 votes
No
45%
999 votes
N/A
13%
288 votes
3.
3.
In 1908, Joseph married Frenchwoman Juliette Lafargue, the daughter of a wine seller. They had two daughters, Simonne and Louise, and lived with Juliette's father, a widower. Hypothetically, would you be comfortable living in the home of your father-in-law?
Yes, I would.
14%
297 votes
Yes, but only for a few months.
10%
221 votes
Maybe
23%
510 votes
I don't think so.
19%
413 votes
No!
17%
366 votes
N/A
18%
393 votes
4.
4.
Despite his credentials, Joseph struggled to find steady employment in France because of discrimination. Dissatisfied with his inadequate and unfairly low pay, he decided to return to Haiti. His uncle, the President of Haiti (pictured) promised him a professorship in mathematics with a good salary, and the chance to work his way up to the position of Head Master. Would you have returned to Haiti?
Yes
31%
690 votes
Maybe
35%
771 votes
No
15%
324 votes
N/A
19%
415 votes
5.
5.
After Juliette got pregnant, they decided to make the trip to Haiti on the SS France (pictured) as soon as possible. She thought it would be easier to travel pregnant with 2 kids, than after the birth with 3 kids. Do you agree?
I would imagine it's easier to travel while pregnant with 2 kids.
28%
626 votes
I would imagine it's easier to travel with 3 kids.
6%
134 votes
I have no idea
38%
836 votes
If I were Juliette, I would never have agreed to leave France.
9%
200 votes
N/A
18%
404 votes
COMMENTS