Behind the Bastards

Part Two: Rebecca Felton: The First Female Senator (was also a pro-lynching activist)

July 30, 2026·42 min·6-min readconversationalhistory
Podzilla Summary (6 min)
TLDR
Rebecca Felton, the first female U.S. senator, was a complex and contradictory figure whose early advocacy for women’s rights and prison reform was overshadowed by her virulent racism, support for lynching, and white supremacist ideology, shaped by trauma from the Civil War and a deep-sea

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Guest

S

Samantha McVay

conversational on Behind the Bastards

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Rebecca FeltonWilliam FeltonIda B. WellsAlex ManlyBenjamin ButlerThomas Hardwick

Books

Southern Horrorsby Ida B. Wells

Companies

Cool Zone Media

Topics

Civil Rights HistoryFact CheckHistory Of ScienceInequalityLong Form JournalismRacial JusticeTrue CrimeUs Politics

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