Martha B. Briggs

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Martha Bailey Briggs (March 31, 1838 – March 28, 1889) was an American educator who was born and educated in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where she taught formerly enslaved men and women to read and write.[1][2] In 1869, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she taught and served as a principal at Anthony Bowen Elementary School until 1873,[2][3] when she began work at Howard University.[1] At Howard, she trained teachers and taught math.[1] In 1879, she was hired to serve as principal of the Miner Normal School.[1][2] She stepped down from Miner Normal in 1883 and returned to Howard, where she served as principal of the Howard Normal Department until her death in 1889.[2][3]

Early life and career[edit]

Martha Bailey Briggs was born March 31, 1838, to John Briggs and Fannie Bassett Briggs, a black abolitionist family in New Bedford, Massachusetts.[4][3] Shortly after his emancipation, Frederick Douglass worked with John Briggs in New Bedford.[5] She was the first African American to graduate from her high school.[6] She received teacher education at the Bridgewater Normal School.[3] Her first teaching experience was in her father's home, tutoring formerly enslaved men and women, many of whom had escaped enslavement through the Underground Railroad. Her reputation as a teacher grew, and she was also hired to teach in small home-based schools in the region.[1] In addition to teaching at the private school she began, she taught in a private school in Christiantown, Martha's Vineyard, and in public schools of Newport, Rhode Island.[3] In 1859, Myrtilla Miner of Washington, D.C., invited Briggs to come to her "School for Colored Girls," but Briggs declined.[3] Briggs briefly studied nursing at Boston Medical College but did not complete study. Briggs taught in Easton, Maryland, from 1862 to 1869.[7]

Further information: Abolitionism in New Bedford, Massachusetts

Career in Washington, DC[edit]

In 1869, Briggs moved to Washington, D.C., where she quickly became both teacher and principal at the Anthony Bowen Elementary School, which permitted children of color to attend.[6][3] In 1873, Howard University hired her to teach in their mathematics and teacher preparation programs.[1][2] Following Myrtilla Miner's death, Briggs left Howard to serve as principal of the Miner Normal School (now known as University of the District of Columbia) from 1879 until 1883.[8][3] Briggs was the first African American woman to serve as principal of Miner Normal, and a Board of Education Report described her as: "a born teacher, and her work showed those qualities of head and heart that have made her name famous in the annals of education in the character of the graduates."[9][8] Briggs was a member of the Monday Night Literary Club, a weekly gathering hosted by Frederick Douglass.

Briggs stepped down from her position with the Miner Normal School to work again for Howard University in 1883, a result of her poor health.[6][3] She remained principal of the university's normal department until her death in 1889.[2][10] A personnel roster for Howard lists her degree as D.D.[10] She advocated for vocational as well as liberal arts education for people of color, and was elected president of the Industrial Institute Association of Washington, D.C., shortly before her death.[6]

Legacy[edit]

After her death on March 28, 1889,[4] a group of citizens, led by Frederick Douglass,[4] successfully petitioned that a DC school building be named the 'Martha B. Briggs Building' after her.[6][1] Two District of Columbia schools were named after her: Briggs Elementary School in 1889 and Briggs-Montgomery Elementary School; however, both schools were torn down for other construction projects.[3] A plaque was placed at the Howard University Chapel in her memory, with the inscription: "Her works do follow her."[6][4] In 1920, a group of educators in New Bedford created the Martha Briggs Educational Club and student aid fund in her honor.[4] In 1935, Briggs' former students gathered to honor her legacy as part of founders' day celebrations at Miner Teachers College.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g New Bedford Historical Society. "Martha B. Briggs". New Bedford Historical Society.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Iturralde, Lucilla; Jones, Adrienne (1992). Notable Black American Women, Book 2. VNR AG. ISBN 9780810391772.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cooke, Paul Phillips. Martha Bailey Briggs (1838-1889): A Biographical Treatment Of Her Life With Emphasis On Her Public School Service. Prepared for the Charles Sumner School Museum/Archives, Washington, DC, April 1992.
  4. ^ a b c d e Blake, Lee. "Martha Bailey Briggs". New Bedford Whaling Museum.
  5. ^ Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895 (February 1994). Autobiographies : Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave ; My bondage and my freedom ; Life and times of Frederick Douglass. Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. New York. ISBN 0-940450-79-8. OCLC 28410345.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b c d e f Scruggs, Lawson Andrew (1893). "Chapter XCII". Women of Distinction: Remarkable in Works and Invincible in Character.
  7. ^ Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives. Martha Bailey Briggs File. Undated newspaper duplications likely to be from the Afro American (Baltimore) circa 1934. Article Titles: "Late Martha Briggs Lauded on Founder's Day at Miner" and "What's Behind the Name of Your School."
  8. ^ a b Board of Commissioners (1905). Annual Report of the Commissioners of the District of Columbia.
  9. ^ Wormley, G. Smith (April 1932). "Educators of the First Half Century of Public Schools of the District of Columbia". The Journal of Negro History. 17 (2): 124–140. doi:10.2307/2714463. JSTOR 2714463. S2CID 149604129.
  10. ^ a b Dyson, Walter (1941). Howard University, the capstone of negro education : a history. Howard University.
  11. ^ "Miner Students Honor Founder: Wilkinson Speaks at Rites Held at College". The Washington Post. March 10, 1935.
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