Elizabeth Blackwell was born into a family of social activists. The third of nine children, Blackwell was born in Bristol, England on February 3, 1821. Her parents moved the family to New York City when Elizabeth was 12, and her father immediately became active in the abolitionist movement. Unfortunately, after an 1838 move to Cincinnati, Ohio, the family's luck turned sour. Their previously secure finances failed, and Mr. Blackwell died, leaving his family nearly destitute. His daughters opened a young ladies' boarding school in order to provide for the family.

In 1842, Elizabeth Blackwell moved to Henderson, KY to teach, but she found the climate of racism unacceptable and quickly left after only one year. She went back to Cincinnati, and then on to Asheville, NC, where she again began teaching. Here in Asheville, Blackwell began studying medicine on her own. She continued her private medical studies in Charleston, SC, where she also...