An Uncommon Woman
eBook - ePub

An Uncommon Woman

The Life of Lydia Hamilton Smith

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

An Uncommon Woman

The Life of Lydia Hamilton Smith

About this book

Lydia Hamilton Smith (1813–1884) was a prominent African American businesswoman in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the longtime housekeeper, life companion, and collaborator of the state's abolitionist congressman Thaddeus Stevens. In his biography of this remarkable woman, Mark Kelley reveals how Smith served the cause of abolition, managed Stevens's household, acquired property, and crossed racialized social boundaries.

Born a free woman near Gettysburg, Smith began working for Stevens in 1844. Her relationship with Stevens fascinated and infuriated many, and it made Smith a highly recognizable figure both locally and nationally. The two walked side by side in Lancaster and in Washington, DC, as they worked to secure the rights of African Americans, sheltered people on the Underground Railroad, managed two households, raised her sons and his nephews, and built a real-estate business. In the last years of Stevens's life, as his declining health threatened to short-circuit his work, Smith risked her own well-being to keep him alive while he led the drive to end slavery, impeach Andrew Johnson, and push for the ratification of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments.

An Uncommon Woman is a vital history that accords Lydia Hamilton Smith the recognition that she deserves. Every American should know Smith's inspiring story.

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Yes, you can access An Uncommon Woman by Mark Kelley in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Social Science Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. List of Illustrations
  6. Preface
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Introduction
  9. 1. James Buchanan’s Father Slept Here
  10. 2. A Girlhood in Gettysburg
  11. 3. Coming of Age
  12. 4. Another Name Change
  13. 5. Much More than a Housekeeper
  14. 6. Everyone’s on the Move
  15. 7. The Widow and the Congressman
  16. 8. Booze, Politics, and the Underground Railroad
  17. 9. Life, Death, and Marriage
  18. 10. The War Years
  19. 11. ā€œIn Health or in Sicknessā€
  20. 12. The Battles After the War
  21. 13. A Companion Lost
  22. 14. ā€œIt Was Mr. Dickeyā€
  23. 15. Mrs. Smith Goes to Washington
  24. 16. Mrs. Smith Versus the Executors
  25. 17. An Elderly Businesswoman
  26. 18. ā€œA Noted Woman Goneā€
  27. 19. Those Left Behind
  28. 20. A Life Well Lived
  29. Notes
  30. Bibliography
  31. Index