Amanda Ann Thomas Wall facts for kids

Amanda Ann Thomas Wall (1837 - 1902) was an important teacher and a suffragist. A suffragist is someone who works to get women the right to vote. Amanda Wall worked for equal rights for Black women after the Civil War. She and her husband, Orindatus Simon Bolivar Wall, were important Black leaders in Washington D.C. Her husband was the first Black judge and police officer in the city.

Early Life and Education

Amanda Wall was born in Loudoun County, Virginia, in 1837. Her mother's name was Charlotte. For a while, they lived in Cincinnati. In 1854, they moved to Oberlin, Ohio. Amanda attended Oberlin College there.

At Oberlin, she became friends with a classmate named Charlotte Wall. Charlotte's brother, Orindatus Simon Bolivar Wall (often called OSB), also went to Oberlin. Amanda and OSB met in 1854. They got married the day after Charlotte married John Mercer Langston. Amanda and OSB had seven children, and five of them lived to be adults. Their two youngest daughters also went to Oberlin College, just like their parents.

Oberlin was known as an abolitionist town. This means many people there were against slavery. The Walls became well-known while living in Oberlin. OSB owned land and hired people to work on his farms. Even in Oberlin, Black residents worried about the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This law made it harder for enslaved people to escape to freedom. OSB helped with the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue in 1858. He also supported the Underground Railroad, which was a secret network that helped enslaved people find freedom.

Teaching and Activism

After the Civil War, OSB was sent to Charleston, South Carolina. Amanda joined him there. She worked at the Freedmen's Bureau, an organization that helped formerly enslaved people. The American Missionary Association asked her to teach at the Avery Institute. She was one of the first Black women to teach there. In Charleston, she likely met Frances Rollin, who also worked for similar causes.

By 1867, Amanda Wall and her family moved to Washington D.C. She continued teaching freed people there. She also worked as an agent for Frederick Douglass' newspaper, the New National Era.

Fighting for the Right to Vote

As OSB earned his law degree and became the first Black Justice of the Peace, the Walls became important leaders in the Black community. They built a house on Howard Hill. They often hosted dinner parties for important people. Guests included George Washington Williams, Susan B. Anthony, and Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Douglass.

In 1869, Amanda Wall joined the women's suffrage movement. She even tried to register to vote. She marched in demonstrations from at least 1871 to 1874. Some of these marches included Frederick Douglass. In 1874, she joined Susan B. Anthony and other women to officially support women's right to vote.

Legacy

The Walls were very active in social and community life. They were often featured in Emancipation Day ceremonies. They also joined other important Black women in charitable work.

OSB died in 1891 after having a stroke. Amanda Wall died in Washington D.C. in November 1902. They are both buried together at Arlington Cemetery.

See also

• African-American women's suffrage movement
• Black suffrage in the United States