The shy child of a militiaman, Clara Barton (1821- 1912) became a successful teacher and opened the first free school in New Jersey, but office politics drove her to the Civil War front. By 1862, Barton was providing food and medical care to Union soldiers at major battles including Antietam and Fredericksburg. Dubbed the “Angel …
Sojourner Truth was born into slavery circa 1797 and was originally named Isabella “Belle” Baumfree. Truth took on her new name later in life because she claimed to hear the Spirit of God calling on her to preach the truth, particularly about the abolition of slavery. The New York native worked as an abolitionist and …
María Adelina Isabel Emilia “Nina” Luna Otero was born on October 23, 1881. Her birthplace near Los Lunas, New Mexico, is about a half hour south of Albuquerque. Nina’s family were well-off, well-educated members of the Hispanos of New Mexico, which was still a U.S. territory at the time. Hispanos are New Mexicans whose ancestry …
Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820, in Adams, Massachusetts, in what is now the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum lovingly restored and owned by Carol Crossed. After the family moved to Rochester, New York, they became active in the abolitionist movement, often welcoming Frederick Douglass and William Wilberforce. While Douglass became most …
