Elizabeth Jennings Graham is an important figure in the history of civil rights in America. Born in 1827, she was a teacher and abolitionist who began a legal fight that gained her the right to ride on New York City’s streetcars and laid the groundwork for future African-American transportation rights. In doing so, she has become known as the first Freedom Rider in American history.
Early Life
Elizabeth Jennings Graham was born in New York City in 1827. She was the daughter of Thomas Jennings, who was himself a noted abolitionist who, in 1846, founded the first African-American-owned tailoring business in the United States. The Jennings family was very socially active and Elizabeth was immersed in a supportive and influential environment from early on. She was also educated in both primary and secondary schools, where her intellectual abilities showed early on.
At the age of 16, Elizabeth became a teacher and went to work for the First Colored American Congregational Church. In her capacity as a teacher, she worked to advance the cause of abolitionism, which she was passionately devoted to. She was a major organizer of the Underground Railroad, which was a secret organization of activists who smuggled enslaves out of the southern states and brought them to freedom in the north.
The Fight for Transportation Equality
In July 1854, Elizabeth Jennings Graham was on her way to church when she tried to board a streetcar but was refused entry by an unsympathetic conductor. When Elizabeth refused to leave the streetcar, a fight ensued.
The police were called and she was arrested. This event would have undoubtedly gone unnoticed had it not been for the fact that Elizabeth Jennings Graham was a celebrated teacher and abolitionist. She was a leader in the community and her detention caused an uproar in the black and abolitionist circles.
Upon her release, Elizabeth, and with the help of a prominent attorney – who was also a select member of the church – filed a lawsuit against the Third Avenue Railroad Company. The Jennings v. Third Avenue Railroad Company case was the first legal action of its kind regarding civil rights in the United States.
In October 1855, the suit was decided in Elizabeth’s favor. The Justice stated that the refusal to allow her to ride the streetcar was “an outrage upon her personal dignity and an invasion of her civil and legal rights as one of the passengers”. As a result, the Third Avenue Railroad Company agreed to lift their racial segregation on public transit.
Legacy
Elizabeth Jennings Graham was one of the most influential figures in the fight for civil rights in America. The Jennings v. Third Avenue Railroad Company case set a precedent for challenging racial segregation in public transportation. This decision enabled African-Americans to ride streetcars in New York City without the fear of being turned away solely because of the color of their skin.
Her legal victory allowed for other civil rights cases such as Morgan v. Commonwealth of Virginia and Browder v. Gayle, which helped to desegregate interstate travel across the United States and were two of the most important civil rights cases of the 20th century.
Today, Elizabeth Jennings Graham is remembered as the country’s first Freedom Rider. There are several monuments and schools that have been named in her honor. Her tenacious spirit and passion for justice lives on as an inspirational example of the power of tenacity and the fight against inequality.
Elizabeth Jennings Graham’s legal victory in 1855 marks a substantial milestone in civil rights history in the United States. Her determination to challenge racial segregation in public transit driven by her passion for justice and civil rights, has made her an iconic figure in African-American history and an inspiration to many. The fight for civil rights and freedom may have begun with Elizabeth Jennings Graham’s challenge to public transportation discrimination, but she was one of many trailblazers who have followed in her footsteps and continue to work hard towards the transition to full equality and justice for all.