America's First Freedom Rider
eBook - ePub

America's First Freedom Rider

Elizabeth Jennings, Chester A. Arthur, and the Early Fight for Civil Rights

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

America's First Freedom Rider

Elizabeth Jennings, Chester A. Arthur, and the Early Fight for Civil Rights

About this book

In 1854, traveling was full of danger. Omnibus accidents were commonplace. Pedestrians were regularly attacked by the Five Points’ gangs. Rival police forces watched and argued over who should help. Pickpockets, drunks and kidnappers were all part of the daily street scene in old New York. Yet somehow, they endured and transformed a trading post into the Empire City.

None of this was on Elizabeth Jennings’s mind as she climbed the platform onto the Chatham Street horsecar. But her destination and that of the country took a sudden turn when the conductor told her to wait for the next car because it had “her people” in it. When she refused to step off the bus, she was assaulted by the conductor who was aided by a NY police officer. On February 22, 1855, Elizabeth Jennings v. Third Avenue Rail Road case was settled. Seeking $500 in damages, the jury stunned the courtroom with a $250 verdict in Lizzie’s favor. Future US president Chester A. Arthur was Jennings attorney and their lives would be forever onward intertwined.

This is the story of what happened that day. It’s also the story of Jennings and Arthur’s families, the struggle for equality, and race relations. It’s the history of America at its most despicable and most exhilarating. Yet few historians know of Elizabeth Jennings or the impact she had on desegregating public transit.

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Yes, you can access America's First Freedom Rider by Jerry Mikorenda in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & African American History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Table of contents

  1. Preface: Unheralded Labors
  2. Chapter I: Good Old New York Stock
  3. Chapter II: The Wizard of Whipple City
  4. Chapter III: Slavery in the Empire City
  5. Chapter IV: Bold Men of Color
  6. Chapter V: Sisters in Struggle
  7. Chapter VI: Zack Comes to Town
  8. Chapter VII: City of Omnibuses
  9. Chapter VIII: Late for Church
  10. Chapter IX: The Trial
  11. Chapter X: The Legal Rights Association
  12. Chapter XI: The Great School Wars
  13. Chapter XII: The Civil War Comes to New York
  14. Chapter XIII: Nell’s Window
  15. Chapter XIV: To Exercise Their Senses
  16. Chapter XV: Shadows of Tall Buildings
  17. Afterlife
  18. Acknowledgments
  19. Notes
  20. Bibliography and Sources