1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Greetings everyone, Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: where we bring you a new tidbit from history every day. 4 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:24,800 Speaker 1: Today is July nineteen. The day was July sixteen, eighteen 5 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: fifty four. On her way to church, Elizabeth Jennings attempted 6 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: to board a street car that did not allow black 7 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 1: passengers on it, which was permitted sometimes. When no passengers objected, 8 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 1: the the conductor said he would not allow her to board. 9 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: She insisted that she board. The standoff between Elizabeth and 10 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:45,599 Speaker 1: the conductor ended with the conductor and the driver forcefully 11 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: removing her from the street car. This incident and the 12 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:52,919 Speaker 1: child that followed became news across the United States, and 13 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 1: the railroad company that operated the street cars began integrating them. 14 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Jennings was from a middle class family New York. 15 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,399 Speaker 1: Her parents were engaged in their communities. Her father, Thomas Jennings, 16 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: was the first black man to receive a patent. He 17 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:12,679 Speaker 1: helped found philanthropic organizations like the Wilberforce Society and then 18 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 1: New York African Society for Mutual Relief. He helped establish 19 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:20,319 Speaker 1: the first black owned and operated newspaper, in the US. 20 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,319 Speaker 1: Elizabeth's mother, also named Elizabeth, was active in the Female 21 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: Literary Society of New York. Young Elizabeth and her siblings 22 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:33,119 Speaker 1: were well educated, despite the limited access black children had 23 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:36,680 Speaker 1: to schooling in New York at the time. Elizabeth grew 24 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 1: up in a segregated New York at a time when 25 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 1: slavery was still legal in the United States, but her 26 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: parents activism influenced her early on. She was a teacher 27 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 1: and a church organist. On July six, eighteen fifty four, 28 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: Jennings was running late on her way to the first 29 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: Colored American and Congregational church, where she was the organist. 30 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:01,320 Speaker 1: The street cars were segregated in The cars for black 31 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: people came less frequently than the ones for white people, 32 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:08,520 Speaker 1: so Elizabeth tried to board the whites only third Avenue 33 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: street car, but the conductor refused to let her board. 34 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:14,919 Speaker 1: Elizabeth told the conductor she was trying to get to 35 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: church on time. When the conductor stuck to his refusal, 36 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: she said she would wait on that car until the 37 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: next one that took black passengers came. The next car 38 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:28,359 Speaker 1: was full, so Elizabeth stayed, but the driver was tired 39 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: of waiting, so Elizabeth was allowed to board. Elizabeth commented 40 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: that she was quote a respectable person born and race 41 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 1: in New York, and told the conductor that he was 42 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:42,920 Speaker 1: quote a good for nothing, impudent fellow for insulting decent 43 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: persons while on their way to church. This set the 44 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 1: conductor over the edge. He pulled Elizabeth's friend Sarah off 45 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,839 Speaker 1: the street car and physically forced Elizabeth's out. She tried 46 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:56,079 Speaker 1: to hold onto a window sash as the conductor and 47 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: driver dragged her from the car to the platform. Determined 48 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:02,400 Speaker 1: to ride Elizza this got back onto the car. The 49 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 1: conductor told the driver to drive until they got to 50 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:08,399 Speaker 1: an officer or police station. They found an officer who 51 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: listened to the conductor's account of what happened, but not Elizabeth. 52 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: Elizabeth ended up walking home. She wrote down what happened, 53 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: and her father took what she wrote to leaders in 54 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 1: the community, including Frederick Douglas. People helped raise money so 55 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: Elizabeth could get an attorney. Just three days after Elizabeth 56 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: was removed from the street car, the New York Daily 57 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: Tribune ran a story on the incident. Chester A. Arthur, 58 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: who had only been practicing law for a little over 59 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: a month, was hired to be Elizabeth's attorney. He fouled 60 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: a suit on behalf of Elizabeth Jennings in the State 61 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: Supreme Court seeking damages from the conductor, driver and Third 62 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 1: Avenue Railway Company. In February of eighteen fifty five, she 63 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: was awarded two and twenty five dollars in damages plus 64 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 1: ten percent for court costs. The judge said that the 65 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:03,400 Speaker 1: company was out bound to carry all respectable persons that 66 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: colored persons, if sober, well behaved and free from disease, 67 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: had the same rights as others. Companies in New York 68 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: began desegregating their street cars, largely because of the potential 69 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: for lawsuits if they didn't. Racial discrimination on public transportation 70 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: wasn't outlawed in New York City until the Civil Rights 71 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: Act of eighteen seventy three went into effect. Tester Arthur, 72 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: Elizabeth's lawyer, became the President of the United States in 73 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:35,479 Speaker 1: eighteen eighty one after James Garfield was assassinated. Elizabeth Jennings Graham, 74 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 1: as she was called after she married in eighteen sixty 75 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:41,359 Speaker 1: later opened the first free kindergarten for black children in 76 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: New York. She died in nineteen o one. I'm Eve 77 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:48,919 Speaker 1: Jeff Cote and hopefully you know a little more about 78 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. And if you'd like 79 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 1: to learn more about Elizabeth Jennings, you can listen to 80 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:57,720 Speaker 1: an episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class called 81 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Jennings Graham. The link is in the description. Keep 82 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: up with us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at t 83 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 1: D i h C podcast. Thanks again for listening, and 84 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: we'll see you tomorrow. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, 85 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 86 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:25,279 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.