Clarina Irene Howard Nichols (January 25, 1810 – January 11, 1885) was a journalist,

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

and public speaker involved in all three of the major reform movements of the mid-19th century:

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture * Temperance (group), Canadian dan ...

abolition Abolition refers to the act of putting an end to something by law, and may refer to: *Abolitionism, abolition of slavery * Abolition of the death penalty, also called capital punishment *Abolition of monarchy *Abolition of nuclear weapons *Abolit ...

, and the

women's movement The feminist movement (also known as the women's movement, or feminism) refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by the inequality between men and women. Such i ...

that emerged largely out of the ranks of the first two. Though prominent enough in her time to merit her own chapter in Anthony's ''

History of Woman Suffrage ''History of Woman Suffrage'' is a book that was produced by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Matilda Joslyn Gage and Ida Husted Harper. Published in six volumes from 1881 to 1922, it is a history of the women's suffrage movement, pri ...

'', Nichols has been overlooked since 1900 and only recently have her contributions to equal rights undergone a reassessment.

Biography

Born in West

Townshend, Vermont Townshend is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for the Townshend family, powerful figures in British politics. The population was 1,291 at the 2020 census. History The land grant for Townshend was chartered b ...

in 1810, into a prosperous

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

family, Clarina Nichols fell on hard times after a disastrous early marriage. Supporting herself and her children on "women's wages" — one-half to one-third what men received for similar work — she began writing for a newspaper in

Brattleboro, Vermont Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The most populous municipality abutting Vermont's eastern border with New Hampshire, which is the Connecticut River, Brattleboro is located about ...

, the ''

Windham County Democrat Windham is an English surname and may refer to: People Surname *de Wymondham (Windham), lords of Wymondham, later of Felbrigg Hall **Ailward de Wymondham (''fl.'' 12th century), a person of some consideration in the time of Henry the First ** Wil ...

in 1845''. She married the editor and publisher, George Nichols; when he became an invalid, she quietly took over his duties at the paper. Through her new profession, she was introduced to various reform movements of the day — temperance, women's rights, anti-

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

, dress and diet reform — and embraced many of them. She helped organize the fledgling women's movement in the East. In October 1852, she helped organize the first of several petitions submitted to the

Vermont legislature The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The ...

to give women the right to vote in school meetings. When the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 threatened to establish slavery outside of the South, Clarina Nichols uprooted her family to become a pioneer and activist in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

. Her efforts helped catapult her adopted state into the forefront of women's rights, gaining the respect and support of such women as

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to so ...

and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. During the course of an ever-busy life, Clarina Nichols served as teacher, lecturer, editor, writer, farmer, lay doctor and lawyer, government clerk, matron in a home for destitute black children and widows, and conductor on the Underground Railroad. She died in 1885 in California, where she pioneered and agitated to the end. She was an active

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

Station Master and Conductor while living in

Quindaro, Kansas Quindaro Townsite is a former settlement, then ghost town, and now an archaeological district. It is around North 27th Street and the Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks in Kansas City, Kansas. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Pla ...

. She left a letter telling about a time when a Freedom Seeker named Caroline was brought to her house. Caroline's slave master and other slave hunters were camped on the edge of town and looking for her. Clarina tells of hiding Caroline in an empty cistern overnight and then sending her on the road North as soon as it was safe.

Footnotes

External links

Clarina Nichols
Women's Rights Activist And Journalist
Biography
from a website created by the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

and the Kansas State Historical Society
Clarina Irene Howard Nichols Papers.Schlesinger Library
, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Clarina I.H. American women journalists American women's rights activists American lobbyists 1810 births 1885 deaths People from Brattleboro, Vermont Underground Railroad people American temperance activists 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American journalists Writers from Vermont

Biography

See also

Footnotes

Further reading

External links