Myrtilla Miner, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front, by J

Myrtilla Miner (March 4, 1815, near

Brookfield, New York Brookfield is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 2,403 at the 2000 census. The Town of Brookfield is located in the southeastern part of the county. The county agricultural fair is held here every year. Histo ...

– December 17, 1864, Washington, D.C.) was an American educator and

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

whose school for African American girls, established against considerable racist opposition, grew into the only public university in Washington, D.C.

Biography

Miner was educated at the Clover Street Seminary in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, and taught at various schools, including the Newton Female Institute in 1846–1847 at Whitesville, Mississippi, where she was denied permission to conduct classes for African American girls. In 1851 Miner opened the

Normal School for Colored Girls Normal School for Colored Girls (now known as University of the District of Columbia) established in Washington, D.C., in 1851 as an institution of learning and training for young African-American women, especially to train teachers. As Miner Norm ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

This was done at a time when slavery was still legal in the U.S. Within two months the enrollment grew from 6 to 40, and, despite hostility from a portion of the community, the school prospered. Contributions from

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

continued to arrive, and

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the harsh ...

gave $1,000 of her ''

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U. ...

'' royalties. The school was forced to move three times in its first two years, but in 1854 it settled on a 3-acre (1.2-hectare) lot with house and barn on the edge of the city. In 1856 the school came under the care of a board of trustees, among whom were

Henry Ward Beecher Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 – March 8, 1887) was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the Abolitionism, abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery ...

and

Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland where he remained for most ...

. Although the school offered primary schooling and classes in domestic skills, its emphasis from the outset was on training Black women to become teachers. Miner's School was closed during the Civil War. The school was eventually reopened and merged with other local institutions to become the

University of the District of Columbia The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public historically black land-grant university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1851 and is the only public university in the city. UDC is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall ...

. Miner guided the school through its fruitful early years but had to lessen her connection because of failing health. In 1857,

Emily Howland Emily Howland (November 20, 1827 – June 29, 1929) was a philanthropist and educator. Especially known for her activities and interest in the education of African-Americans, she was also a strong supporter of women's rights and the temperan ...

took over leadership of the school and in 1861 Miner went to California in an attempt to regain her health. A

carriage A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...

accident in 1864 ended that hope and Miner died shortly after her return to Washington, D.C. She is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in

Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Georgetown is a historic neighborhood, and commercial and entertainment district located in Northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751 in the Province of Maryland, the port of Georgetown predated the establish ...

Miner Elementary School
in Washington, D.C., is named in her honor.
/ref>

References

External links

*
Myrtilla Miner
''Encyclopædia Britannica''

''National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum''

''History of American Women''
Myrtilla Miner Tribute
''University of the District of Columbia'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Miner, Myrtilla 19th-century American women educators American abolitionists 1815 births 1864 deaths Educators from Washington, D.C. University of the District of Columbia people People from Brookfield, New York Activists from New York (state) Educators from New York (state) Activists from Washington, D.C. Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) 19th-century American educators Women civil rights activists

Biography

References

Further reading

External links