Elizabeth Piper Ensley (January 19, 1847 – February 23, 1919), was an educator and an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

. Born in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, Ensley was a teacher on the eastern coast of the country. She moved to

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

where she achieved prominence as a leader in the Colorado

suffrage movement Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

. She was also a journalist, activist, and a leader and founder of local women's clubs.

Early life and education

Although some sources claim that Ensley was born in 1848 in the Caribbean, census and marriage records, as well as her grave, place her birth at

New Bedford New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...

, Massachusetts, on January 19, 1847. Her father, Phillip F. Piper, was born in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and her mother, Jane Gibson, was born in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Her father worked on the ship ''Rebecca Simms''. In 1868, she graduated from the

West Newton English and Classical School West Newton English and Classical School, also known as the Allen School, was a model school in West Newton, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1854 by Nathaniel Topliff Allen (1823–1903), an educator and protege of Horace Mann ...

, also known as the Allen School. From 1869 to December 1870, she traveled to England and Europe.

Marriage and children

She married her husband

Newell Houston Ensley Newell Houston Ensley (August 23, 1852 – May 23, 1888) was an American Baptist minister and civil rights activist. He was a professor at Shaw University, Howard University, and Alcorn University. Early life Newell Houston Ensley was born a sl ...

on September 4, 1882, in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Newell, born in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

on August 23, 1852, was the son of Clara and George Ensley. Born into slavery, he was owned by his maternal grandfather who hired a teacher to teach him to read and write. After the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Newell worked and attended a school near her home and became the teacher and a Sunday school teacher. He desired to become a preacher. He graduated third in his class from

Roger Williams University Roger Williams University (RWU) is a private university in Bristol, Rhode Island. Founded in 1956, it was named for theologian and Rhode Island cofounder Roger Williams (theologian), Roger Williams. The school enrolls over 5,000 students and e ...

in Nashville in June 1878, and then attended

Newton Theological Seminary Newton Theological Seminary or Newton Theological School may refer to: * Newton Theological Institution (1825–1965) * Andover Newton Theological School (1965–2017) * Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School Andover Newton Seminary at Y ...

in Massachusetts, where he was the only black man in his graduating class (ca. 1881). He first taught Latin and theology at a school in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

. He was a professor of rhetoric, Hebrew, and science at

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

and

Alcorn State University Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, ASU or Alcorn) is a public historically black land-grant university adjacent to Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871 and was the first black land grant college established in the United States. O ...

. Among his favored topics were "Toussaint L'Ouverture," "Pluck versus Luck," "The Rights of Women," "Temperance" and "The Rights of the Negro." They had three children: Roger (born 1883), Charlotte (born 1885), and Jean (March 1888 – June 1888). They lived in Washington in 1880s, and then Mississippi, before moving to Denver, Colorado in 1887 or 1888. The African-American community was only about 2% of Denver's total population. Newell died in Denver, Colorado, on May 23, 1888. Ensley lived at 855 S. Emerson, in a

craftsman house American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. Its ...

. She also lived at 1722 Logan, Denver, Colorado in 1900, when her mother and her two surviving children (of three) lived with her.

Career

Upon returning from Europe on December 22, 1870, she established a circulating library in Boston and became a public school teacher, working in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784. From 1882 to 1883, Elizabeth was a member of the faculty of

. She taught at

in Mississippi before moving to Denver. Ensley was the Denver correspondent for ''

The Woman's Era ''The Woman's Era'' was the first national newspaper published by and for black women in the United States. Originally established as a monthly Boston newspaper, it became distributed nationally in 1894 and ran until January 1897, with Josephine S ...

'', the national publication of the

National Association of Colored Women's Clubs The National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC) is an American organization that was formed in July 1896 at the First Annual Convention of the National Federation of Afro-American Women in Washington, D.C., United States, by a merger of t ...

(NACWC) by 1894, when she reported on the first election in which women could vote. It was the first monthly newspaper published by and for African-American woman.

Activism

Relief efforts

Due to the Silver Panic of 1893, miners who had lost their jobs were in Denver with their families. In Colorado, Elizabeth joined Denver's relief efforts for the poor and the homeless, contacting people that she knew in Washington, D.C., and Boston to help fund relief efforts.

Suffrage and politics

Women had the right to vote in school board elections, but not in other elections, in accordance with the state constitution of 1876. Inspired by her experiences with the women's suffrage groups in Boston, Elizabeth joined the campaign to put a women's suffrage amendment on the November 1893 ballot in Colorado, so that women could vote in all elections. She was the treasurer of the Colorado Non-Partisan Equal Suffrage Association, and beginning with a fund of 25 dollars, helped gain the money necessary for the campaign. Ensley worked to persuade African-American men to vote in favor of voting rights for women. The suffrage amendment was approved in November 1893, making Colorado the second state to grant voting rights to women. Alongside Ida Clark DePriest, she organized the Colorado Colored Women's Republican Club to teach African-American women to be educated voters. While she identified most with the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, she wrote that "there should be thorough and systematic organization of the women of all parties." She established the Women's League in 1894 to inform black women how to vote, communicate the importance of voting, and communicate the nature of the issues. She was also very involved in ensuring equality for all and civil rights.

Women's clubs

She founded the Colorado Association of Colored Women's Clubs (CACW) in 1904, which created a stronger alliance by joining eight organizations throughout Colorado. The CACW led community and educational programs, including the George Washington Carver Day Nursery. Ensley served as the second Vice President of the Colorado State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs. She delivered an address to the Federation in 1906 titled "Women and the Ballot." Ensley was the only African-American member of the predominantly white board of the Colorado Federation of Women's Clubs.

Death and legacy

She died on February 23, 1919, in Denver, at the home of her daughter, Charlotte Ensley Britton. She is buried in the Ensley family plot at Riverside Cemetery in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Colorado. In 2020, Ensley was posthumously named an honoree of the

National Women's History Alliance The National Women's History Alliance (NWHA) is an American non-profit organization dedicated to honoring and preserving women's history. The NWHA was formerly known as the National Women's History Project. Based out of Santa Rosa, California sinc ...

and inducted into the

Colorado Women's Hall of Fame The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame is a non-profit, volunteer organization that recognizes women who have contributed to the history of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of 2020, 170 women have been inducted. History There was a short-lived recogniti ...

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ensley, Elizabeth Piper 1847 births 1919 deaths African-American suffragists American suffragists African-American educators African-American women educators Activists for African-American civil rights Howard University faculty People from New Bedford, Massachusetts People from Denver American women academics 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 19th-century African-American women