1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:17,280 Speaker 1: a show that examines notable events that happened years ago. Today, 4 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Bluisier, and on today's episode, we're talking about 5 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:26,279 Speaker 1: the complicated history of Alexander Twilight, a black man who 6 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: broke glass ceilings right under the nose of his white contemporaries. 7 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 1: The day was Tuesday, September nine three, a college student 8 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:48,240 Speaker 1: named Alexander Twilight received his bachelor's degree, becoming the first 9 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:51,280 Speaker 1: person of African descent to achieve this honor in the 10 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 1: United States. Alexander's life began on September in the town 11 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: of Corinthe, Vermont. Alexander was the third of six children 12 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 1: born to Ichabod and Mary Twilight. His father is believed 13 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,120 Speaker 1: to have been of mixed race and his mother is 14 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: believed to have been white. This would make Alexander roughly 15 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:17,679 Speaker 1: one quarter African American. He was studious from a young age. 16 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:21,199 Speaker 1: When he turned eight, he began working on a neighbor's farm, 17 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: and in his free time, he learned reading, writing, and math. 18 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 1: At age twenty, Alexander enrolled in grammar school, where he 19 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:33,039 Speaker 1: completed six years of secondary education and two years of 20 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:37,400 Speaker 1: college level courses. This allowed him to enter Middlebury College 21 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: in eighteen twenty one as a junior. Two years later, 22 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: he graduated alongside seventeen other men and received a Bachelor 23 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 1: of Arts degree. It's important to note that while Middlebury 24 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: proudly claims Alexander as their first African American graduate today, 25 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 1: there is no evidence that the college knew he was 26 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:02,560 Speaker 1: black at the time. In fact, and Alexander attended Middlebury, 27 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 1: like all other US colleges, was only open to white men. 28 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 1: This implies that Alexander was fair skinned enough to pass 29 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: as white. Further evidence for this theory has been uncovered 30 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: through the research of Twilight scholar and Professor emeritus of 31 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: history Bill Hart. He examined the Twilight family's census records 32 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: and determined they had been alternately counted as black or 33 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: white depending on the year. For example, the eighteen hundred 34 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: senses marked the Twilight family as quote all other free persons, 35 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: meaning they were black people who were not enslaved. However, 36 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: beginning with the eighteen ten senses, the Twilight family's racial 37 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:50,640 Speaker 1: identity was listed as white. The reason for this discrepancy 38 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: is unknown, but Professor Hart speculates that it came down 39 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 1: to who answered the door. During the eighteen hundred senses 40 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: Alexander's mixed race father was still alive, which could explain 41 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,359 Speaker 1: why the census taker assumed the family was black. However, 42 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 1: Ichabad Twilight passed away during the ten years sences gap. 43 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:14,839 Speaker 1: This could mean that Alexander's white mother answered the door 44 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 1: in eighteen ten, and as a result, she and her 45 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: six children were all assumed to be the same race. 46 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: Whichever way it happened, Alexander was identified as white and 47 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:30,640 Speaker 1: continued to be until his death. This ambiguity may have 48 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: worked in Alexander's favor, enabling him to bypass the inherently 49 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: unjust system that would have otherwise limited his opportunities as 50 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: a black man during the era of slavery. After graduating 51 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: from Middlebury, Alexander became a teacher in Peru, New York, 52 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 1: where he met his future wife, Mercy lad Merrill. Just 53 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 1: as he did as a child, Alexander used his free 54 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 1: time to further his education, this time studying theology and 55 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: becoming ordained as minister. By eighteen twenty nine, Alexander was 56 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 1: the acting pastor of the Brownington Congregational Church and the 57 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: principal of the Orleans County Grammar School in Brownington, Vermont. 58 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 1: During his time as principal, Alexander boosted enrollment and oversaw 59 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: construction of a bigger school and boarding house, which he 60 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: called Athenian Hall. While still viewed as a white man 61 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: by the public, it's interesting to note that some of 62 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 1: Alexander's students described him as a man of darker complexion 63 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 1: than most. Alexander continued his string of accomplishments by being 64 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:40,480 Speaker 1: elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in eighteen thirty six. 65 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 1: He was the first African American to do so, though 66 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: again most people were likely unaware of this milestone. Alexander 67 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 1: continued working off and on as a pastor and school 68 00:04:52,360 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 1: leader until eighteen fifty five, when he suffered a stroke 69 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: and was left paralyzed. He died two years later and 70 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 1: is buried in a cemetery at the church where he preached. 71 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,719 Speaker 1: The handwritten notes for his sermons revealed that Alexander viewed 72 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:12,360 Speaker 1: human history as a progressive journey toward individual freedom, one 73 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 1: that was directed by God and guided by human conscience. 74 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:20,719 Speaker 1: Although he was not an abolitionist, he preached on multiple 75 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 1: occasions that slavery had no place in any true Christian 76 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: society or democracy. Today, Alexander's Athenian Hall still stands. It's 77 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:34,720 Speaker 1: now known as the Old Stone House and serves as 78 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:40,160 Speaker 1: the Orleans County Historical Society and museum. His pioneering achievements 79 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,279 Speaker 1: are finally seen for what they are, and his birthday, 80 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: September twenty three, is officially designated by his home state 81 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:52,839 Speaker 1: as Alexander Twilight Day. I'm Gabe Louzier and hopefully you 82 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 1: now know a little more about history today than you 83 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 1: did yesterday. If you have any comments or suggestions for 84 00:05:59,839 --> 00:06:02,159 Speaker 1: his storical event you'd like to see covered on the show, 85 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: you can drop me a line at this Day at 86 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 1: i heeart media dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for 87 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:12,240 Speaker 1: producing the show, and thank you for listening. I'll see 88 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 1: you back here again tomorrow for another Day in History class. 89 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,279 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart 90 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:27,800 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 91 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:28,480 Speaker 1: favorite shows.