"A race, no less than a nation, is prosperous in proportion to the intelligence of its women." (M.A. Majors, 1893)
Reconstruction after the Civil War was a fraught with overwhelming new challenges for millions of African Americans, not all of whom were recently-emancipated slaves. The next 100 years would see a struggle for American citizens to claim full citizenship and to end the reign of terror that accompanied emancipation.
Yet flourishing in this cauldron of oppression were people who, despite being held down not only because of their race but also because of their sex. They were businesswomen, teachers, doctors, lawyers poets, singers, agitators, scientists, and mathematicians.
Dr. Monroe A. Majors wrote this volume in 1893 to let the world know that women of color were helping to lead the way to a new order. Some of the names you'll be familiar with, like Elizabeth Keckley and Sojourner Truth. But from Octavia Albert to Anna Zinga, Majors presents sketches of over 300 women of note whom most of America no longer remembers.
The significance of Majors' contribution was not its breadth, detail, or prose but the very fact that he saw the importance of the accomplishments of these women for the future of America itself. We have his record and from this book, many single biographies could be researched and written about a fascinating group of women who succeeded against odds that most of us will never know.
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