Born May 10, 1847, Beaver, Pennsylvania
Died February 10, 1936, London, England

During the mid-nineteenth century, Britain and Germany were laying plans to colonize the Mombasa region of East Africa (an area that is now Kenya and Tanzania). They hoped to set up plantations there, populated by white settlers. But in order to do so, they had to make native inhabitants give up their lands, a goal they achieved by harsh military expeditions and shows of force. May French Sheldon, a wealthy publisher interested in Africa, was convinced that such cruel methods by colonizers were not necessary. In 1891 she led an expedition into the area, hoping to prove that African tribes would accept white people who treated them with kindness and respect. She visited nearly three dozen different tribes, most of whom received her warmly. She, in turn, was one of the first Westerners to report on their...