Elizabeth Thorn Scott Flood facts for kids
Elizabeth Thorn Scott Flood (1828–1867) was an important African American teacher and activist in California during the 1800s. She taught at a school for Black children in Sacramento, California. Later, she worked hard to make sure all children in Oakland, California had the same chance to get an education.
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Early Life and Learning
Elizabeth Thorn was born free in 1828 in New York state. She received a good education in New Bedford, Massachusetts. There, she married her first husband, Joseph Scott. In 1852, Elizabeth Thorn Scott moved to California with Joseph. They settled in a town called Placerville. Joseph worked as a gold miner. Sadly, he died soon after they arrived. This left Elizabeth Thorn Scott Flood alone with their young son, Oliver. She felt Placerville was not the best place for them. So, she and Oliver moved to Sacramento. Sacramento had a larger community of African Americans.
A Teacher and Fighter for Rights
When Elizabeth Scott Flood arrived in Sacramento, she tried to enroll Oliver in the local public school. However, public schools did not accept African American students. This was not a law, but it was a common practice at the time. With help from the local African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church, Elizabeth Scott Flood opened a small private school. This school was for non-white children. It started in May 1854 at her home on Second Street.
Elizabeth Scott Flood was the teacher at this school. She earned $50 a month. Parents of the students paid her salary. At first, only African American children attended the school. But soon, she also welcomed Native American and Asian American students. The students were not all young children. Their ages ranged from four to twenty-nine years old. A few months later, the Sacramento school board decided to manage the school. However, they did not provide any money for it. Elizabeth Scott Flood agreed to this plan. But she kept fighting for equal rights for her students.
Working for Education in Oakland
In 1855, Elizabeth Scott Flood went to the first Colored State Convention in Sacramento. At this meeting, African American leaders planned how to ask California politicians for better rights. They wanted basic civil rights, like the right to vote. During that year, she met her second husband, Isaac Flood. Isaac was a freed slave. He had been born in South Carolina and became free at age 22. Isaac was twelve years older than Elizabeth. He also had a son.
The couple and their two children soon moved to Brooklyn, California. This was a growing small town near Oakland. By 1857, Elizabeth and Isaac opened a school for African American children. It was at their home on East 15th Street. At that time, African American children could not attend public schools in Oakland. By 1858, the Floods had three children. They were very involved in their community. They were known as a leading and forward-thinking family in the area. That same year, they helped start the Shiloh African Methodist Episcopal (Shiloh AME) church. This was the first AME church in the area.
In 1863, the church bought an old building. It was 20 by 30 feet. They moved it to Second and Market Streets. This building had been an old school for white children that was no longer used. The Shiloh AME church took over the school. They used the building for church services and for the school. Elizabeth Scott Flood continued to teach at the school. She taught there until she passed away in 1867. Local school laws did not allow African American students into public schools until 1872. However, in 1866, the government started funding separate schools for African American and other non-white children. The Shiloh AME school operated for ten years. It closed its doors in 1873.
Her Lasting Impact
Elizabeth Scott Flood died unexpectedly in 1867. She was 39 years old. She left behind her husband Isaac and five children. Elizabeth never saw schools become desegregated. But in 1872, the city of Brooklyn started to accept African Americans in its schools. The Oakland School Board made a similar decision. That same year, Brooklyn became part of Oakland. Elizabeth Scott Flood's youngest daughter, Lydia Flood Jackson, was one of the first African American students to attend Oakland schools in 1872. By 1875, all separate schools for African Americans in the area were closed. In 1880, the law in California was changed. It made school segregation illegal.
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