Schooling the Nation: The Success of the Canterbury Academy for Black Women

Founded in 1833 by white teacher Prudence Crandell, Canterbury Academy educated more than two dozen Black women during its eighteen-month existence. Racism in eastern Connecticut forced the teen students to walk a gauntlet of taunts, threats, and legal action to pursue their studies, but the school of higher learning flourished until a vigilante attack destroyed the Academy.

Jennifer Rycenga recovers a pioneering example of antiracism and Black-white cooperation. At once an inspirational an...