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Understanding 9/11tv Robbins House CSPAN July 16, 2017 7:49pm-8:01pm EDT
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time. >> one last question, anybody? think you so much for coming. i appreciate it. [applause] >> interested in american history tv? visit our website. lectures,tch how his archival films and more. tv onan history c-span.org/history. >> c-span, where history unfolds daily. in 1979, c-span was created as a public service by america possible television companies, that is brought to today by our cable or satellite provider. -- that is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. >> this is the robbins house.
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of threethe story generations of african americans and their fight for civil rights. it started in the 18th century. every year, no needs of people visit this northbridge and many of them also visit the robbins hunter. one of the most surprising response is that many people were unaware that slavery existed in the north. many believe that it was a southern institution and that the racial problems that extended from slavery came from the south. are not only anthemic in the north but also continued all the way up to the present day. was history.house people ofto by the caesar robin, a former enslaved men of the area. about robin was born 1745.
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he lived and concord until 1822. we don't know a lot of fact about his life. to draw details from their experiences and build up what we know, we don't know if he was born into a life of slavery. it is possible that he was born in africa and was born as a slave. we do know that around 1760 he was living in the family of john robbins. his name appears on a note terrible listing soldiers who served in the french and indian war up near fort ticonderoga. this became increasingly more common the closer we get to the american revolution and by the time we get to the american revolution, massachusetts has a long history of allowing enslaved and free men of color to serve in armed forces. caesar did serve in the revolutionary war.
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he served to three different tours of duty, the press in march of 1776. he seems to appear in the town of athens. they marched to rocks. when george washington and the continental army began the markets and 76. we know that caesar was there during that key military engagement, once they seized dorchester heights and fortified , the british army had to abandon boston. it was a turning point in the american revolutionary war. during that time. , he seemed to be a standard melissa soldier. it included free men of color. incrediblyg was not common, most were from the upper echelons of society. they tended to be ministers, officers in the local was a company, fox-sky merchants,
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sometimes even farmers who have more wealth and property. are the types of men that owned slaves in the 1700s. the lives of enslaved people depended on where they lived, slave men and women led there are lives from enslaved men and women who lived and concord. they conquered the most common form of slave labor. enslaved men worked on the farms in manual labor, doing all the general farm tasks. sometimes that meant they were .o run alongside other times, that meant the majority of the labor themselves, the most common example was meant and women who were enslaved to local ministers, those women who charged with running the day-to-day business on the farms. family with food, clothing and general impotence of day-to-day life. their focus was on religious services and speeches of that nature.
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we don't know when he gained his freedom but we know that he served three different tours of duty during the american revolution. what his military service did do was allow him to earn money. he was paid and we know this because there are receipts from the time they serve. he first1779 that appears on the records, shortly after he returned from military service. he is married in 1779, that is when we really start to understand his life after the american revolution. robbins was married three times and ultimately had five children. one of his men was peter robin. for $250.undertaking peterlly signified that
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robbins was part of the small farmer class concord in the general area during that. time. unfortunately, we don't know how he earned the money. he may have heard it from his farm labor and saved continuously until he had enough money to purchase the property. the deed for the house is signed in april of 1823. we believe that it was built sometime before that date. the deed indicates that peter robbins was able to live here is also allowed to live in a house. jack garrison and his wife susan lived here until 1837. doesn'tsmall house, it have a lot of living states, is public quite busy. nevernd his first wife had any children but jack and susan had several children.
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they all lived together in this house, side-by-side for more than 10 years. the robbins house has two rooms. on one side of the house is where the garrisons live, on the other side of the house is where the robbins lit. since the side of the house is so small, it is clear they had a lot of close contact. it is remarkable that barely 40 years after the end of the american revolution, the children of a former enslaved men were able to purchase a house and property and conquer. susan robbins mary's jack garrison. he is a runaway slave from new jersey. the two of them built a family and a light from themselves where they had children that grow into adulthood. some of the more important children with her sons. 's born in this
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house in 1843 and comes of age during a time when anti-slavery and abolitionist movements were in their infancy stage. aboutarned quite a bit social activism from a very young age, possibly might in the rooms of this house. lesson and this builds them into a young -- a life dedicated to social activism. we know she moved into boston when she was about 18 years old. we believe she worked as a teacher. later on, we found her in newport, rhode island. during that time. 1860's, she writes to request sponsorship to be teach -- be a teacher. in 1855, she moves to port deposit, maryland. to 1868.es from 1865
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then she moves back to maryland to continue her work teaching. during that time. , it is almost 100 of her letters that survived. in all of these letters, she emphasizes her dedication to education and to social activism. of particular importance, in may of 1856, she tends to challenge the first civil rights act of 1856. when she enters a baltimore train station, she was forcibly removed by security guards who did not want a woman of color sitting in a waiting room with white women. using this experience, she attempt to bring a court -- she attempts to bring eight court case. and otherslike helen during this time. that eventually lead to the adoption of the 14th amendment. the last african-american
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families to live in the house were about 1868. around that time, the house was moved several times and was opened on the street. a few years later, the house was moved to this location just opposite the historical park. they preserve the legacy and history of slavery not only here that also in massachusetts and in the north in general. they located directly across the street from the north bridge. they're emphasizing that the struggle for independence and equality that began in 1975 did not end there and it continues all the way through the present day. the house is a visual reminder that enslaved men and women lived and concord along the free white men and women and the struggle to end slavery during the abolitionist movement and civil war and engage in the civil rights movement of the 20th century.
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>> our city's stat recently traveled to massachusetts to learn about history bid learn more about concorde, at c-span.org/citiestour. you are watching american history tv at a weekend every weekend -- a weekend of the weekend. >> next former boston globe journalist discuss their book the road to camelot. inside jfk's five-year campaign. the jfk presidential line prairie -- library marks the centennial of the 45th presidency. welcome we are so thrilled you are all here. this is part of our centennial activities.
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