485:, and was critical of white female suffragists who were upset that "inferior" black men had voting rights while they did not. "I think reformers should be careful to govern their prejudices, and if they cannot succeed in all their schemes, not try to pull down the freeman's guarantee erected by a nation's life struggle." "The arena of political life," she believed, "is not woman's proper sphere. She has a higher and more holy mission on this earth. She has an innate purity that shrinks from coarse brutality, obscene jests, horrid oaths, the accompaniments of our election days; and her presence will not restrain men at such times, and women, instead of being the gainer by the contract will be a loser in self respect surely." She and Phillip Bell, who supported women's suffrage, would argue back and forth on the topic in the Elevator.
467:
300:
556:. Human bondage soon will exist only in history, and religious intolerance be a dream of the past, and mind will constitute manhood, not physical types or color of skin. And happy are they who live in this agitation, and assist in its development! How strange that great lessons of truth must be forced upon the mind by error as the contrast, and a startling wrong perpetrated to ensure right, and a long lethargic sleep to produce a full awakening!
494:
195:
359:
611:, both 19th century writers of the American West who also used the short essay form in their work. Gardner speculated that her choice of the pseudonym Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful), suggested that for Carter, "writing is a gesture of faith for the community, in the community, writing about topics that need to be discussed but that might not be discussed," a way to "push people to be involved and think about the issues."
226:, she describes a middle-class childhood in which she loved to read and was "passionately fond of music," not assuming "a young lady's position in society until I was somewhat prepared by years." In one incident, she tells of hiding away in the attic and playing alone with her dolls at the age of fourteen when a potential suitor came to see her. Carter had a younger sister, who died of a
418:
about herself as a "garrulous" old lady and how she managed to "preserve summer in my heart all through my sixty years," by being "not in the least dignified," telling of living a healthy life and skipping rope and playing hide and go seek with the neighbor children. Her writing reveals her wit and an ability to tell important stories by anchoring them in the minutia of daily life.
520:. Of San Francisco, she said it made her sad to think of how little sun the people saw there, and was dismayed at the divisions within the city's black community, so small as to be "a mite on a mountain". The five weeks she spent in Carson City, on the other hand, were "invigorating", and "the black people there were doing well, and had pleasant homes."
458:
wise," she wrote: "'Gentlemen, Fenians, illustrious sons of the dominant race of Anglo-Saxons, bold advocates of a white man's
Government, supporters of Andy Johnson—will you tell me if a herring and a half cost a penny and a half, how much will eleven pence buy?' And while they were figuring out that difficult problem we passed on."
238:
457:
who told him no black person was allowed to travel after 4PM; in response Dennis Carter calmly offered to beat up 'anyone who laid hands on him.' In another essay she tells of being blocked by a group of white men as she and her husband were out for a walk in Nevada City. "I addressed them in this
350:
of 1855. While married to the
Reverend, Jennie served as Vice President of the Grass Valley Christian Commission. In 1866, she married her second husband, musician and Civil Rights activist Dennis Drummond Carter and began a life with him in a house filled with musical instruments. The Carters lived
417:
Carter claimed to live in a community called Mud Hill, a town "a great deal prettier than its name would signify," but biographer Eric
Gardner has said Mud Hill was a pseudonym. She also claimed to be sixty years old in her columns but was actually 20 years younger. She wrote in a light-hearted way
445:
in her columns. "Children, you hear a great deal said about color by those around you, see attention given white persons by your friends that is wholly unmerited, while those of darker skin are treated with cool neglect. Such are wrong, and that you may avoid like mistakes I write this for you to
582:
wrote that her work "remarkably complicates assumptions about blacks' access to the middle class in the late-19th-century West even as it adds to and confirms a rich tradition of post-Gold Rush West Coast journalism." Garder notes that his research into Carter helped uncover little-known black
245:"In my childhood an old man told me if I would observe three things I would enjoy good health. I will say they proved useful to me, and may to others who read your paper. First, keep the head cool and calm. Second, keep the feet dry and warm. Third, keep the heart free from anger," she wrote.
380:, offering to write short stories for children to be included in the paper. Bell liked the idea, publishing her letter and a short essay by Carter about her childhood dog in New Orleans in the following issue. Over the next seven years, Carter published over 70 pieces in
614:
The Nevada County historical society has included Carter in their exhibit of late 19th century black pioneers of the Sierra
Nevadas. Most of these African-American communities had disappeared by the 20th century, as people left small towns to find jobs in bigger cities.
446:
read. Let your motto be, civility to all, servility to none. Those reminders of bondage we must get out of the way as soon as possible; and while we would treat all with respect, we should not talk about color, light and dark, black and white."
551:
A friend told me the world was shaking. I believe it is, not only the physical world, but the mental world. There never was a time when mind was so agitated as the present, not only in this continent, but the Old World is shaken. Witness
565:
Carter died in Nevada City in August 1881, at the age of 51. Her obituary stated "Sudden Death" of "Dropsy of the Heart.". Her husband Dennis
Drummond Carter outlived her and was still living in Nevada City in 1893.
603:, Gardner said, was an important part of the literary output of 19th century African Americans that was often overlooked. He also notes that because she worked primarily in short essays, she can be compared to
424:"Well, Mr. Editor, I see have made a mistake. I commenced writing for the children, and have wound up writing for everybody. May it be excused, with the thousand of others I have made through life."
449:
Carter used incidents from her and her husband's life to illustrate how they handled the racism they faced. In one column, she writes of how her husband was confronted by whites near
280:. In another incident, a man who escaped slavery came to her doorstep and Carter was able to help raise funds in the local community for him to continue his journey to freedom.
528:
Though she didn't believe in women becoming politicians, she did not hold back from voicing her opinions on the politics of the era, specifically divisions between pro-Slavery
728:
234:
of how bad she had felt because she had hit her sister three weeks before she died, using the incident to advise her younger readers to refrain from anger.
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618:
A reenactment video featuring several Jennie Carter essays was filmed at the Doris Foley
Historical Library and the Pine Grove Cemetery in Nevada City.
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during the Civil War and held about 150-300 African-Americans, who worked in a variety of professions and businesses. Some of them were active in the
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252:. As a child, she watched while a young friend was taken by slave masters away from his mother. While Carter was living with her baby near
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179:
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Carter's writings began to receive wider critical and historical attention when they were published in Eric
Gardner's 2007 book
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911:
Elmer R. Rusco, "Good Time Coming?": Black
Nevadans in the Nineteenth Century, Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated, 1975
343:
753:
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either in 1830 or 1831 and is believed to have spent her early life in New
Orleans and New York and her young adulthood in
1237:
421:
When Carter realized that her articles were expanding beyond advice to children to essays on current issues, she wrote:
186:
and nationwide. In the 21st century, with the republication of her essays, her work began to receive wider attention.
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to arrive at her home with her own baby, fleeing from slavery. Carter hid the woman in her cellar, then drove her by
248:
Carter writes of several incidents in her childhood and young adulthood when she was confronted with the reality of
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182:, politics, and immigration, and was widely circulated in late 19th century black communities throughout the
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771:"GOLDEN OLDIE - Nevada City's citizens restored their mining town for themselves, and the tourists followed"
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540:, siding firmly with the Chinese immigrants whom many Native born citizens, black and white, were trying to
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384:. Her writing expanding beyond stories for children to commentaries on California and national politics,
171:
404:, Carter achieved regional and in some cases national exposure for her work. She also published in the
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Though she insisted on the importance women played in shaping society, Carter was not a supporter of
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mountains that held several small but growing communities of people who had moved there during the
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http://followingdeercreek.com/jennie-carters-thoughts-words-from-nevada-city-1867-1874-video/
482:
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595:. Writing like Carter's that was published in black newspapers, along with similar work by
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Racial
Reconstruction: Black Inclusion, Chinese Exclusion, and the Fictions of Citizenship
8:
596:
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470:
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754:
https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=MU18650314.2.4&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
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396:, and many other issues. Later, she began using the pseudonym Semper Fidelis. Since
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with her first husband, a preacher named Rev. L. J. Correll, around 1860, before the
729:"Nevada County Historical Society highlights stories of African American pioneers"
544:. She called upon her readers to "remember those in bonds as being bound to us."
265:
222:. Her mother died young, and she was raised by her grandmother. In her essays in
973:"Eric Gardner interview, 'Jennie Carter: A Black Journalist of the Early West'"
227:
1120:
1074:"Unexpected Places: Relocating Nineteenth-Century African American Literature"
1022:
Hoo-Doo Cowboys and Bronze Buckaroos: Conceptions of the African American West
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592:
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Anna J. Trask and Semper Fidelis. Her work covered diverse topics, including
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Unexpected Places: Relocating Nineteenth-Century African American Literature
796:
Unexpected Places: Relocating Nineteenth-Century African American Literature
1035:
Sweet Freedom's Plains: African Americans on the Overland Trails, 1841–1869
405:
194:
640:"Jennie Carter's Nevada County Setting 1860s, 2nd Marriage & Obituary"
948:
http://followingdeercreek.com/jennie-carters-nevada-county-setting-1860s/
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http://followingdeercreek.com/jennie-carters-nevada-county-setting-1860s/
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Always Faithful An Introduction to the Work and Life of Jennie Carter
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in 1850, a young woman followed her from a speaking engagement in
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The Daily Transcript (Nevada City) Friday, August 12, 1881 | url=
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A Companion to the Literature and Culture of the American West
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Carter travelled throughout Northern California and into
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In 1867, using the pseudonym Mrs. Trask, Carter wrote to
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Carter helped fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad
1040:
202:
Census records differ on whether Mary Jane was born in
536:. Carter also spoke out about another divisive issue,
376:, editor of the weekly San Francisco black newspaper
811:, Univ. Press of Mississippi, June 17, 2010 p. 119
798:, Univ. Press of Mississippi, June 17, 2010, p. 114
676:
Jennie Carter: A Black Journalist of the Early West
576:
Jennie Carter: A Black Journalist of the Early West
294:
727:The Searls Historical Library (January 19, 2016).
958:California Voter Registration, 1893, Ancestry.com
678:Univ. Press of Mississippi, January 1, 2007, p. 7
1134:
971:Marshall, Poe; Eric, Gardner (January 1, 2008).
587:, which had links to larger urban centers like
400:had a circulation that extended throughout the
1037:University of Oklahoma Press, October 20, 2016
276:" a few miles away, and the woman was able to
633:
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1024:Univ. Press of Mississippi, January 23, 2014
970:
1173:19th-century African-American women writers
1121:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22m_p3zP4to
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547:Of the times she lived in, Carter said:
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1158:19th-century American women journalists
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542:prevent from entering the United States
1203:African-American history of California
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351:on Lost Hill, then on Green Street in
1228:People from Nevada County, California
1168:19th-century African-American writers
924:, NYU Press, October 23, 2016, p. 252
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318:. Nevada County was an area in the
1223:People from Nevada City, California
1198:19th-century people from California
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461:
392:and suffrage, morality, education,
287:, Carter worked as a teacher and a
13:
1213:African-American women journalists
1208:History of Nevada City, California
1097:. January 19, 2017. Archived from
1011:John Wiley & Sons, May 4, 2011
508:, sending back her impressions of
230:at age ten. Carter later wrote in
14:
1249:
1233:19th-century pseudonymous writers
1193:Underground Railroad in Wisconsin
1153:19th-century American journalists
1095:Nevada County Historical Society
769:SCHEER, ROBERT (July 28, 1991).
638:Redfern, Lisa (23 August 2019).
295:Nevada County and writing career
101:American journalist and essayist
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752:Grass Valley Daily Union | url=
346:and had helped to organize the
134:– August 1881) was an American
29:Mary Jane (maiden name unknown)
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580:American Literary Scholarship
348:California Colored Convention
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1183:African-American journalists
338:. This county supported the
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1091:"African American Pioneers"
437:Carter was quick to attack
10:
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1238:Pseudonymous women writers
1033:Shirley Ann Wilson Moore,
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147:African-American newspaper
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111:; after second marriage,
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1163:Writers from New Orleans
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198:View of New Orleans 1840
158:, California during the
554:the revolution in Spain
107:(after first marriage,
42:Nevada City, California
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411:The Christian Recorder
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92:Dennis Drummond Carter
773:– via LA Times.
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365:, Carter's editor at
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344:civil rights movement
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197:
1218:Free people of color
1101:on February 14, 2017
1020:Michael K. Johnson,
1007:Nicolas S. Witschi,
644:Following Deer Creek
324:California Gold Rush
212:free person of color
1052:Black Print Culture
597:Norris Wright Cuney
583:communities in the
538:Chinese immigration
524:Contemporary events
516:, Nevada City, and
483:black male suffrage
433:Racism and colorism
283:Before writing for
1188:American essayists
983:University of Iowa
502:
475:
370:
308:
243:
200:
160:Reconstruction Era
142:who wrote for the
978:New Books Network
848:Unexpected Places
599:, Frank Webb and
306:, California 1866
278:escape to freedom
210:. She was born a
154:from her home in
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989:on July 24, 2010
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578:. A reviewer in
479:women's suffrage
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462:Women's suffrage
310:Carter moved to
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1054:. April 9, 2008
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1143:1830s births
1115:
1105:February 13,
1103:. Retrieved
1099:the original
1094:
1068:
1058:February 13,
1056:. Retrieved
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993:February 13,
991:. Retrieved
987:the original
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738:February 13,
736:. Retrieved
733:TheUnion.com
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647:. Retrieved
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473:cartoon 1870
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406:Philadelphia
398:The Elevator
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382:The Elevator
381:
378:The Elevator
377:
371:
367:The Elevator
366:
336:Grass Valley
326:, including
309:
285:The Elevator
284:
282:
247:
244:
232:The Elevator
231:
224:The Elevator
223:
201:
151:The Elevator
149:
124:
120:
112:
108:
104:
103:
1148:1881 deaths
534:Republicans
514:Carson City
498:Carson City
441:as well as
353:Nevada City
328:Nevada City
304:Nevada City
254:Hazel Green
208:New Orleans
132: 1830
39:August 1881
1137:Categories
622:References
609:Bret Harte
605:Mark Twain
589:Sacramento
518:Marysville
394:temperance
332:Marysville
274:safe house
190:Early life
180:temperance
144:California
136:journalist
117:pseudonyms
72:journalist
66:Occupation
31:circa 1830
933:Gardner,
898:Gardner,
885:Gardner,
872:Gardner,
859:Gardner,
846:Gardner,
833:Gardner,
820:Gardner,
713:Gardner,
700:Gardner,
687:Gardner,
649:17 August
530:Democrats
316:Civil War
289:governess
258:Wisconsin
220:Wisconsin
164:pen names
902:, p. XXV
850:, p. 119
704:, p. 117
691:, p. 107
443:colorism
262:Missouri
216:Kentucky
140:essayist
75:essayist
49:Pen name
889:, p. 27
876:, p. 28
863:, p. 26
717:, p. IX
489:Travels
481:before
250:slavery
168:slavery
109:Correll
1123:| url=
937:, p.52
837:, p. 4
824:, p. 5
756:| url=
570:Legacy
506:Nevada
500:, 1877
439:racism
408:paper
386:racism
334:, and
270:Quaker
172:racism
113:Carter
83:Spouse
44:, U.S.
561:Death
428:Views
340:Union
268:to a
266:buggy
1119:url=
1107:2017
1060:2017
995:2017
740:2017
651:2024
607:and
591:and
218:and
138:and
123:and
36:Died
26:Born
206:or
1139::
1093:.
1082:^
1050:.
981:.
975:.
963:^
731:.
659:^
642:.
630:^
512:,
453:,
414:.
388:,
355:.
330:,
291:.
256:,
178:,
174:,
170:,
129:c.
127:;
119:,
115:;
1109:.
1076:.
1062:.
997:.
742:.
653:.
272:"
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