Matilda Newport ( 1795–1837) was an

Americo-Liberian Americo-Liberian people or Congo people or Congau people in Liberian English,Cooper, Helene, ''The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood'' (United States: Simon and Schuster, 2008), p. 6 are a Liberian ethnic group of Afric ...

colonist and

folk hero A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in folk songs, folk tales and other folklore; a ...

. She is known for her actions in 1822 when she is alleged to have defended the settlement

Cape Mesurado Cape Mesurado, also called Cape Montserrado, is a headland on the coast of Liberia near the capital Monrovia and the mouth of the Saint Paul River. It was named Cape Mesurado by Portuguese sailors in the 1560s. It is the promontory on which Afri ...

with a cannon she lit from her pipe. She is a controversial figure in light of the tensions between Americo-Liberians and native Liberians. The historical accuracy of the account has been challenged. A national holiday in her honour, Matilda Newport Day, was celebrated annually on 1 December from 1916 until it was abolished in 1980.

Biography

Matilda was born in the United States circa 1795 (possibly

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 ...

). She married Thomas Spencer, becoming Matilda Spencer. At the age of 25 she sailed to

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

with her husband on the ship ''Elizabeth''. They arrived on 30 September 1820 and settled in Cape Mesurado. Newport is principally known for her actions on 1 December 1822 defending the colonial settlement

during the Battle of Fort Hill. An

American Colonization Society The American Colonization Society (ACS), initially the Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America until 1837, was an American organization founded in 1816 by Robert Finley to encourage and support the migration of freebor ...

representative had acquired the land through

gunboat diplomacy In international politics, the term gunboat diplomacy refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of naval power, implying or constituting a direct threat of warfare should terms not be agreeable to th ...

, displacing the indigenous Dei people. During one of two attacks on the settlement by the Dei, Bassa, and Gola, Newport noticed that the cannoneers were either dead or wounded. She used a hot coal from her pipe to light the fuse of a cannon. The resulting explosion deterred the advance of the African warriors and changed the course of the battle. Newport's husband died, probably in one of the conflicts. Sometime after 1822, she married again to Ralph Newport. He died in a canoeing accident in 1836. Matilda Newport died of

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...

in 1837.

Legacy and historicity

Newport's role in the 1822 battle was not initially considered particularly significant, but grew over time in

oral histories Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people wh ...

. In 1916 the Liberian legislature designated 1 December as ''Matilda Newport Day''. Until its abolishment, the annual celebration included a grand ball, speeches, parades, and reenactments. She was commemorated with a Liberian postage stamp in 1947. A bronze plaque at the Centennial Pavilion in Monrovia depicts Newport with the cannon. Monrovia also has a monument dedicated to her and a street and a high school bear her name. As criticism of Americo-Liberian rule grew in the 1960s, Newport's role in Liberian history was no longer seen as admirable. Following the military coup in 1980,

Samuel Doe Samuel Kanyon Doe (6 May 1951 – 9 September 1990) was a Liberian politician who served as the 21st president of Liberia from 1980 to 1990. Doe ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 to 1984 and then a ...

abolished Matilda Newport Day. Historians have questioned the veracity of the account of Newport's actions. None of the accounts of the battle mention women participating the colony's defense. The first source to acknowledge Newport's role appeared in 1854.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newport, Matilda 1790s births 1837 deaths Americo-Liberian people Respiratory disease deaths in Liberia Liberian women activists American emigrants to Liberia 19th-century Liberian people 19th-century Liberian women Women in 19th-century warfare