1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,599 Speaker 1: Hey y'all, Eve's here. We're doubling up today with two 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: events in history, one from me and one from former 3 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: host Tracy V. Wilson. On with the show. Welcome to 4 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: this Day in History Class from how Stuff Works dot 5 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: Com and from the desk of Stuff You Missed in 6 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: History Class. It's the show where we explore the past 7 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: one day at a time with a quick look at 8 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: what happened today in history. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 9 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 1: I'm Tracy V. Wilson and it's January third. Lucretia Mott 10 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: was born on this day in sev She was an 11 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 1: abolitionist and an advocate for the rights of women. She 12 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: was born Lucretia Coffin in Nantucket, Massachusetts, and her father 13 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: was a sea captain, but eventually he decided to leave 14 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: that line of work because it was incredibly dangerous and 15 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: that he was away from the family for long periods 16 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: of time. Lucretia's mother had run a small store while 17 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: her father was away at sea, and once he left 18 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: that line of work, they all moved to Boston, where 19 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: he became a merchant. Lucre she went to school. She 20 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: became a teacher, but she saw right away that she 21 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 1: was being treated differently because of her sex. She was 22 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 1: teaching at the same school where she had studied, and 23 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: she said, quote, I learned at school that their education 24 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 1: cost the same as that of men, while they received 25 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: as teachers but half the salary. While teaching, though, she 26 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:23,839 Speaker 1: met a man named James Bott and they got married 27 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: on April tenth of eighteen eleven. They were extremely well matched. 28 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,320 Speaker 1: They had very similar beliefs related to things like the 29 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: abolition of slavery and equal rights for women, and they 30 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: also loved each other very deeply. They would go on 31 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: to have six children together, although one son died in 32 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 1: early childhood. Lucretia Mott joined the American Anti Slavery Society 33 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: in the eighteen thirties, and she saw more disparities and 34 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: how she was treated because of her sex. She was 35 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: a Quaker and a Quaker minister. She had been encouraged 36 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: to take a leadership role in her congregation, but she 37 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: discovered that an other congregations and other denominations, the idea 38 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:07,400 Speaker 1: of a woman minister just was radical and sometimes unacceptable, 39 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: and even within the Anti Slavery Society, the idea of 40 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 1: a woman who had such direct and vocal advocacy was 41 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:19,799 Speaker 1: raising some eyebrows, however, though she did not give up 42 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: in the face of all this, she spoke, she rallied, 43 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: she campaigned for abolition. She also used her physical presence 44 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: as a white woman to try to protect the people 45 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 1: of color who were also part of this work. As 46 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 1: one example, during an event at the newly opened Pennsylvania Hall, 47 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: a mob of anti abolitionists gathered outside while they were meeting, 48 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: and when they were leaving, Mott instructed the other white 49 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 1: women there to all link up arms with the black 50 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: women to help keep them safe. They were a lot 51 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:55,679 Speaker 1: safer as white women than the women of color who 52 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: were with them, and they knew this, and so she 53 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:01,080 Speaker 1: was willing to use her own body basicly as a shield. 54 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: In eighteen forty, she attended the World Antislavery Convention, where 55 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:10,079 Speaker 1: she and other women in attendance were denied admission because 56 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: of their sex. They were ultimately allowed to attend the convention, 57 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 1: but they had to sit in a special area and 58 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:20,639 Speaker 1: they were only allowed to observe, not to actually participate. 59 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: During this convention, Lucresia Mott met Elizabeth Katie Stanton, who 60 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 1: was there on her honeymoon and the two of them 61 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:30,679 Speaker 1: decided to organize an event for the cause of women's 62 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: rights after they got back to the United States. That 63 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: event was the Seneca Falls Convention, held in eighteen forty eight. 64 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: Lucresia Mott continued on doing all kinds of advocacy for 65 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: pretty much her whole life. She became the first president 66 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 1: of the American Equal Rights Association when it formed in 67 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty six to fight for universal suffrage. She withdrew 68 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: from that organization though, when her colleagues wanted to prioritize 69 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: voting rights for women over voting rights for the people 70 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: of African sent She later became the president of the 71 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: Philadelphia Female Anti Slavery Society. Matt developed pneumonia in eighteen 72 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: eighty and she died on November eleventh of that year 73 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: at the age of eighty seven. You can learn a 74 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:17,840 Speaker 1: lot more about her and her work in the August fifteen, 75 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 1: eighteen episode of Stuff You Miss in History Class. Thanks 76 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: to Casey Pegraham and Chandler Maize for their audio work 77 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:26,599 Speaker 1: on this show. You can subscribe to This Day in 78 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: History Class on Apple Podcasts, Google podcast, the I Heart 79 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 1: radio app, and wherever else you get your podcasts, and 80 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: you can tune in tomorrow for a very controversial execution. Hey, y'all, 81 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:47,840 Speaker 1: it's Eaves. If you've been listening to the show, then 82 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,240 Speaker 1: you know that I'm at home for the holidays, getting 83 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 1: some much needed rest and relaxation. But I'm still bringing 84 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 1: you another episode of This Day in History class, so 85 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 1: let's get into the show. The day was January third, 86 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: eighteen forty eight. Black American merchant Joseph Jenkins Roberts was 87 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 1: sworn into office as the first President of Liberia. Roberts 88 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 1: was born a free black man in Norfolk, Virginia, in 89 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: eighteen o nine. His father was likely a white planter, 90 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: and his mother was Amelia Roberts, a woman of mixed race. 91 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:30,039 Speaker 1: Roberts grew up reading books that were in the private 92 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 1: library of William Coulson, a black barber, whom he apprenticed. 93 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 1: Under Less than a decade after Roberts was born, the 94 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 1: American Colonization Society or a CS was established. Black and 95 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:45,719 Speaker 1: non black Americans supported the immigration of Black Americans to 96 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 1: Africa for various reasons. Some people believed they would live 97 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:55,599 Speaker 1: safer and happier lives there, free from racial discrimination. Others 98 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: just wanted black people out of the country or wanted 99 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:01,919 Speaker 1: Black Americans to christianize. After Ka, the mission of the 100 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: American Colonization Society was to send free black Americans to Africa. 101 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 1: Considering the different reasons people supported colonization and the fact 102 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:14,559 Speaker 1: that it often made black folks lives worse, many people 103 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:18,960 Speaker 1: opposed colonization and the a c S. By the eighteen thirties, 104 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:23,159 Speaker 1: many abolitionists and black leaders were denouncing colonization and the 105 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 1: a c S for supporting the institution of slavery, but 106 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 1: some black people still supported colonization, and the a c 107 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:34,839 Speaker 1: S was still sending ships full of black immigrants to Africa. 108 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: Throughout the early eighteen hundreds, the Society set about finding 109 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:42,800 Speaker 1: a good location for its colony in West Africa. It 110 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,599 Speaker 1: sent people to Sharboro Island and cra Leone, where many 111 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:50,279 Speaker 1: died because of the island's conditions. The a c S 112 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: then moved its efforts north to Cape Massadu. Local tribal 113 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 1: leaders resisted colonization, but the survivors from Sharborough Island and 114 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 1: other people from the U s US began arriving at 115 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:07,040 Speaker 1: Cape Masadadu In eighteen twenty four. The colony was dubbed Liberia, 116 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 1: with its capital at Monrovia after US President James Monroe. 117 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:15,120 Speaker 1: Despite Liberia's early struggles with tribal leaders and with the 118 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 1: governing authorities, slave states encouraged the formation of war colonization societies. 119 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: These societies founded their own colonies in Liberia for formally 120 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 1: enslaved and free black people. In eighty nine, Roberts left 121 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 1: Virginia for Africa aboard the Harriet with his mother, wife, child, 122 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: and four siblings. He and his business partner Coulson planned 123 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 1: on exporting timber, animal hides, and other products to North 124 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 1: America in exchange for US goods as well as new immigrants. 125 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 1: His wife and child died not long after they reached Africa, 126 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: but Roberts did become a successful merchant. He got land 127 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:57,360 Speaker 1: to raise cash crops, paid for his brother to go 128 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: to medical school in the US, and Mary another woman. 129 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 1: Soon he was recognized as a member of the upper crust. 130 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 1: He became high sheriff of the colony, collecting taxes from 131 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: indigenous people. By eighteen thirty nine, he was appointed vice governor, 132 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 1: and in eighteen forty one he became the first black 133 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:22,040 Speaker 1: American governor of Liberia. Commerce in Liberia was becoming increasingly lucrative, 134 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 1: but Liberia had a hard time protecting its interests as 135 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:30,520 Speaker 1: foreign traders encroached on its territory. Roberts and other colonial 136 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 1: leaders sought the recognition of Liberian sovereignty, and in October 137 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 1: of eighteen forty six, the colonial legislature called for a 138 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 1: referendum on independence from the a c S. Colonists voted 139 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 1: in favor of independence, choosing to cut ties with the 140 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:50,680 Speaker 1: a c S and convene a constitutional convention. Liberia was 141 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:54,240 Speaker 1: declared an independent republic in July of eighteen forty seven, 142 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:59,040 Speaker 1: and Roberts won the first presidential election. He was inaugurated 143 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 1: on January third, eighty eight. As president, Roberts sought recognition 144 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 1: of Liberian sovereignty from other nations. Much of Europe, Haiti, Brazil, 145 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:14,680 Speaker 1: and the US eventually recognized the new republic. Under his presidency, 146 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 1: Liberia expanded its territory, but friction remained between America Liberians 147 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:24,600 Speaker 1: as they were known, and indigenous people's Roberts was reelected 148 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:28,199 Speaker 1: three times and served eight years in office. He returned 149 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:31,400 Speaker 1: to the office in eighteen seventy two, serving four more 150 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:36,280 Speaker 1: years as president. Roberts died in eighteen seventy six, leaving 151 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:40,679 Speaker 1: much of his estate to the Liberian education system. I'm 152 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:43,280 Speaker 1: Eve Jeffco and hopefully you know a little more about 153 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:47,120 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. And if you have 154 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:49,319 Speaker 1: any notes that you want to send us, you can 155 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: do so at this day at I heeart media dot com. 156 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:54,880 Speaker 1: If you want to email us, and if you rather 157 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:57,320 Speaker 1: leave us a message on social media, you can do 158 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:01,440 Speaker 1: that on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram at t d i 159 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:05,880 Speaker 1: h C podcast. Thanks again for listening and we'll see 160 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:17,439 Speaker 1: you tomorrow. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit 161 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 162 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.