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1872: Josephine Carr vs. The Chester
1872: Josephine Carr vs. The Chester
Carr, a Black teacher, chose to sit in the Chester's main cabin. She was forcibly moved to the forward cabin, where Black passengers normally sat. She then moved to the steamboat's bow and stood until departing the ride early. In the libel case, ship captain Edward Young — one of those who physically moved Carr — explained that the forward cabin is normally where Black passengers sit.
Judge Giles ruled that Black passengers who pay their fare can't be moved from seating cabins, and Carr won $25 in damages.
This article comes from the Alexandria Gazette in Alexandria, Virginia, showing that interest in the case spread beyond Maryland. Like the Anderson/Jackson case, Carr's teaching career is mentioned to suggest that she is respectful.
Alexandria Gazette, June 19 1872: News of the Day: “To show the very age and body of the Times”
Screenshot: America's Historical Newspapers
Evening Post, June 19 1872: Important Decision. Common Carriers Not to Discriminate as to Color.
Screenshot: America's Historical Newspapers
This article, published in New York newspaper The Evening Post, summarizes the case. It also clarifies that "common carriers" cannot discriminate based on passenger color. [Note that the article contains a typo; it should read "Judge Giles," not "Judge Carr."]
What are common carriers? According to historian David Bogen in Precursors to Rosa Parks, this refers to transportation vehicles that require payment for a ride. While passengers can't choose their seats, they are guarenteed the seat for which they paid. Therefore, Judge Giles said, the Chester couldn't move Carr to a lesser spot on the boat — she had paid the same as any white person had.
For more information on common carrier law, see Precursors to Rosa Parks, pg. 730.
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