Whose Land?

 Listen now!  Before telling Lethe's story, we need to go back and explore when English colonists first arrived and engaged with the Piscataway tribe in this part of the Chesapeake Bay. Then how tobacco farming fed the need for imported labor, initially from English indentured servants and then from enslaved labor from Africa.

...shall serve Durante Vita

 Listen now!  At the beginning of the 1700s, as the transatlantic slave trade picked up pace, and labor from enslaved people became the dominant labor force in the American colonies, those initial landowners in the colony of Maryland enacted ever-restrictive laws that formalized and centered slavery upon the concept of one’s race and determined that they “shall serve Durante Vita” meaning “for life.” 

It’s important to take the time now to explore this aspect of early American history, as It is very important to understand the patterns that emerged during this era because these are the underpinnings of the laws, economics and social structures that are vital to understanding Lethe Tanner’s world ….and our own.

(in production)

Inheritance and displacements Lethe, her sisters, and others enslaved on the Belt plantation are dispersed upon death of Mary Belt. As was often the case, upon the death of a slave owner, the enslaved feared for their breakup of their families.

Building a city Belonging now to the newly Rachel Belt Pratt, Alethia comes to DC and is surrounded by the effort, often slow moving, to build a new capital city. Here she encounters a wide mixture of people all coming together to build this new city

Gaining freedom and gaining knowledge Finally becoming a free person didn't mean that life was easy, but it did allow you the freedom to learn to read and write. Alethia's sister Sophia and her husband George Bell were among the pioneers of education for the free Black community.

Immigrants and the pandemics Cholera outbreaks and other pandemics hit the growing City of Washington hard. Irish immigrants felt a huge backlash as they were the scapegoat for the pandemics

Increasingly restrictive Black codes The population of free Blacks were soon outnumbering those that were enslaved. Soon free Blacks were competing for jobs with new immigrants and opening businesses to the wider community. However as white fear increased due to slave revolts, increasing restrictive laws aimed at the Black community took hold.

Snow Riot 1835 Racial tensions explode when white workers rampaged against black businesses and send Alethia's nephew, John Cook fleeing the city in fear of his life.

Spiritual uplift and pressing for change As the free Black community increased, Black churches played an important role. They served not only as a way for spiritual uplift, but also a way to provide education and advocacy for rights.

Bells and Pratts George and Sophia Bell's lives are continually intertwined with that of Rachel Pratt, their former owner. The contentious relationship continues with their sons, Governor Thomas Pratt, the 27th Governor of Maryland and Enoch Bell who end up in court over a kidnapping charge.

Legacy Living into her 80's, Alethia has seen a lot and has empowered subsequent generations of her family, and of institutions to continue pushing forward.