Part One: Rebecca Felton: The First Female Senator (was also a pro-lynching activist)
Summary
This episode of Behind the Bastards examines Rebecca Felton, the technically first female U.S. Senator, who was a prominent Georgia plantation owner and suffragist. Hosts Sam and Leo discuss her privileged upbringing, her family’s wealth derived from slavery and the Yazoo Land Fraud, and her complex views on race and gender. The narrative highlights her racist beliefs, her opposition to the Lost Cause myth, and her eventual political career despite her controversial legacy.
Topics discussed
Intro and Rebecca Latimer Felton's legacy
Sponsors: Airtasker, Jinx, Guns N' Roses, Kewpie
Felton's wealthy background and the Yazoo Land Fraud
Childhood on the plantation and racial attitudes
Sponsors: Airtasker, Jinx, Guns N' Roses, Kewpie
Education, marriage, and the Civil War's impact
Sponsors: Airtasker, Jinx, Guns N' Roses, Kewpie
Post-war racism, lynching advocacy, and miscegenation
Outro and final sponsor messages
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