Prudence Crandall

Prudence Crandall was born in Connecticut, the daughter of Quakers who instilled in her a sense of responsibility to those in need. With her concience as her guide (and because it was one of the few professions that a woman could persue), she became a teacher in the town where she grew up.

After a few months of teaching in Plainfield, she heard of a job opening in Canterbury, a well-to-do section of Connecticut. She left Plainfield and went to teach the wealthy girls of Canterbury reading, writing and arithmetic (subjects offered in the district schools) as well as the ever important skills of sewing, drawing and piano. After recieving advancements from the wealthy men of the town, she purchased a house on the edge of town to open her own school, which opened its doors to her first students in 1831.

Prudence's sister Almira helped with the teaching, and a young black girl named Marcia (who had lived with the Crandall's her whole life) was the housekeeper. Marcia was engaged to a Mr. Charles Harris who had a younger sister named Sarah. Sarah wanted an education. Slavery had been abolished in Connecticut since 1784, but most white folks were content to keep black folks as low on the societal rung as they could. Black families could own their own land and black children could go to the district schools - but "Black Laws" restricted them from most everything else. When Sarah asked to attend Ms. Crandall's school, Prudence politely "put her off". It wasn't long after that when Prudence's concience got the better of her.

On top of her own concience (which she managed to keep quiet for a full year), she came across a copy of The Liberator, a newspaper edited by a man named William Lloyd Garrison. The Liberator caused quiet a still in Boston, where it was published, as its primary message was to abolish slavery everywhere - and in every way! After much soul searching, including admitting to herself that she was prejudiced in her views of black people, she decided that she would no more continue to deny Sarah the education she desired because of the color of her skin.

Almira was a little more concerned than Prudence about the reaction that Sarah's admittance might cause. Prudence was convinced, however, that it would be ridiculous for these girls, who, after all, attended the district school with black children, to treat Sarah differently because she was a different color. She was wrong. The townspeople were outraged. They urged her to remove Sarah from the school - if this did not happen they would see to it that the school was closed. It was the thought of the time that "if negroes became educated they would become dangerous". It wasn't long after this that Prudence sought the advise of William Lloyd Garrison.

After discussions with Mr. Garrison, and pondering herself...Prudence decided to close the school to white children and teach ONLY the black students in the town. By the time April of that year rolled around without much notice to the people of Canterbury - Prudence's first class of black students arrived by stagecoach...each aware of what the future would likely hold. On that first day the townspeople had polluted the school's drinking water with manure. All of the shopkeepers in town had refused to do business with Prudence as well...which made meal time subsist of only fish - caught by her brother. Prudence's father promised to bring fresh water, milk, eggs and flour - as long as she kept up her courage.

After a false sense of security had been reached because of some nasty weather keeping the townspeople away, life was soon to turn sour. Boys threw stones at the girls as they walked toward the school one afternoon. After they finally reached their home - they were greeted by a pile of garbage...including a dead cat, and chicken heads and feet. From that day forward outside the schoolhouse doors there was not a moments peace. Inside Prudence and her students carried on. Considered in violation of a vagrant law, the students a Prudence's school were threatened with the most severe penalty - a public whipping on the bare back...all of the students offered to be the one who should be punished. Not long after that, one of the townsmen, Andrew Judson (state legislator) hurredly passed a law denyin the right of anyone to set up a school for only "colored students" unless the entire town agreed. The next day, Prudence conducted class as usual - and became a bona fide law breaker. She was arrested.

The constable took her to the court where they reminded her that she need not go to jail if her friends or family posted bail for her. She told them, she was fully aware of that, but insisted they go along with their duty (that the people of Canterbury would throw a woman - especially a woman like Prudence, in jail was not going to be looked kindly upon by folks...especially abolishonists!). The next day she was released...but her action had already served its purpose. She was tried in August of that year - and the fight was on. The proposition that no state could withhold an education from any citizen was put forth. And everyone knew that no colored person - enslaved or free - could become a citizen. Well, Prudence's lawyers were set to prove that "black laws" were unconstitutional. Because it was a criminal trial, the jury had to decide on both law and fact...so, it ended up a hung jury (7 for conviction and 5 for aquittal). And, another trial was set for December.

At the first trial, among her friends, she met a man named Calvin Philleo, a minister on his way to Ithica, New York, who was very impressed by the whole affair. He drove Prudence home and she committed to writing him. Over the next few weeks the prosecuters tried to convince her friends, her pupils, and even her sister to testify against her. None would. Slowly opinions began to turn in her favor. Her now worried prosecutors and the judge (known for his "anti-negro" views) called the trial two months before it was scheduled. The second trial found her guilty. Dismayed, her attorneys set out for appeal. All the while this was going on, Prudence continued to write to Calvin...eventually, they made plans for marriage.

One day, at the schoolhouse, she and her students thought they smelled smoke...and the next day, that smoke had turned to fire. Someone had stuffed twigs and brush under the steps of the schoolhouse and lit them on fire. Prudence and the girls put out the fire. That night the town came to accuse her of arson and to inform her that they arrested her accomplice, a repair man who frequently came to the school and worked for free...a black man. He was eventually released.

That fall her appeal was heard and the basis of the trial, that blacks could not be citizens was dismissed as a technicality. Canterbury became enraged. Calvin Philleo came to stay with Prudence, mostly because her friends thought she would be better off with "a man in the house" (although Prudence felt that "this household of women has proved able to withstand the attacks of the men of the town"). For a couple of weeks all was well. Then, one night after the sounding of the church bell, the window was crashed, the clapbourds were torn from the walls, sashes ripped from the windows, and every pane of glass was shattered. In moments the outside of the house was a shambles. And while Calvin and Marcia quietly began cleaning...Prudence came uncorked. She hated them...she was ashamed of Canterbury, ashamed of Connecticut, ashamed of the country, and ashamed of her color. Convinced that she could do no good if her driving force was hate, she closed the school.

Within five years, Andrew Judson was defeated in Congress. Prudence Crandall's name became synonamous with "negro education", and Connecticut Legislature repealed the "black laws". Prudence and Calvin opened another school in Illinois - it flourished. Prudence's name has become one of the most honored in Connecticut.

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