Independent Historian

Rebecca Fried is a student at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC. She lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and is interested in studying history.

Abiel Smith School (1798-1855)

The Abiel Smith School, originally founded in 1798 by African American parents in the Boston, Massachusetts community, was an institution for free African American students. It became known as the Abiel Smith School in 1815 after Abiel Smith, a wealthy white benefactor, endowed the school. The Abiel Smith … Read MoreAbiel Smith School (1798-1855)

Elizabeth Riley (1791-1855)

Elizabeth Riley was a prominent Bostonian who was deeply involved in the Massachusetts antislavery movement and noted for harboring the fugitive slave Shadrach Minkins in her attic. Riley was born Elizabeth Cook in 1791 in Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up in Boston and was twice married, first to a man named … Read MoreElizabeth Riley (1791-1855)