Louisa and Abolition

Join us as we explore Louisa May Alcott in the broader context of Concord’s abolitionist movement, including her family’s activism, her interaction with fellow abolitionists, and the importance of Black abolitionist women in shaping the cause that she so passionately devoted herself to.History 160: Abolitionist Women and Their Worlds is a seminar course made up of Harvard University undergraduates and taught by Professor Tiya Miles and Teaching Fellow Ciara Williams. After reading works by abolitionist women of many different racial and geographic backgrounds, students in the course set out to create a podcast that centers on positioning Louisa May Alcott’s abolitionist work in this broader context. Engaging in thorough primary and secondary source research, students worked together to create a historical narrative of Alcott’s relationship with the abolitionist movement in Concord and beyond while also centering the importance of women such as Maria Stewart, Susan and Ellen Garrison, and other members of the Concord Female Anti-Slavery Society. Through establishing these connections, we hope that this episode will provide an understanding of how Louisa’s activism was distinctly shaped by her historical and geographic contexts.Professor Tiya MilesTeaching Fellow, Ciara WilliamsIke OpayemiHenry SantamariaKylan BensonSophia LiaoKawsar YasinTatum MuellerJubi OladipoSa’maia EvansJade StanfordDulce Gonzalez AriasDebora Ortega-MaldonadoGabriela Vasquez RosadoTosin A.Yasmeen KhanThis project was made possible by the generous support of the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute, especially Patrice Green, Curator for African American and African Diasporic Collections and Tamar Brown, Head of Education and Outreach. We’d also like to thank the museum staff at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House and The Robbins House in Concord, MA as well as the museum staff at the Museum of African American History in Boston. Finally, we extend our thanks to the Department of History, the Mindich Program in Engaged Scholarship, and the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University.For a complete list of sources, visit letgeniusburn.com