{"id":4352,"date":"2025-05-14T02:04:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T02:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/?page_id=4352"},"modified":"2026-08-28T14:23:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T18:23:43","slug":"rebecca-charles-short","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/boarding-houses\/rebecca-charles-short\/","title":{"rendered":"Rebecca and Charles Short"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Charles and Rebecca Short\u2019s tavern, Union Hotel, is also listed as a place where tickets could be had for Whipper\u2019s Reading Room address. Whipper clearly approached many businesses in the area to garner support for the Reading Room Society. The availability of Whipper\u2019s Reading Room tickets, at a space devoted to socializing and entertainment, demonstrate the practical ways African-American intellectual discourse was developed in the nineteenth century. The hotel was conveniently located across the street from Bethel AME Church and Wesley Church, places where the conventions were held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"800\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-1762 size-large\" alt=\"Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church\" src=\"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_0_image-1024x800.jpeg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_0_image-1024x800.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_0_image-300x234.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_0_image-768x600.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_0_image-1536x1200.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_0_image.jpeg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-black-background-color has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignfull is-style-default has-small-font-size is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-676bb0ec wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:0px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6aec616b6a7e4&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6aec616b6a7e4\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"444\" height=\"485\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_4_img.png\" alt=\"newspaperclipping\" class=\"wp-image-1771\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_4_img.png 444w, https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_4_img-275x300.png 275w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 444px) 100vw, 444px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center is-style-text-annotation has-base-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-1 is-style-text-annotation--2 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;background-color:#121212e0\">\u201cBoarding &amp;Lodging.\u201d <em>Freedom\u2019s Journal<\/em>. 24 June 1828. From 2016 Accessible Archives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6aec616b8332d&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6aec616b8332d\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"499\" height=\"634\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_4_img2.png\" alt=\"Newspaper clipping. A notice.\" class=\"wp-image-1772\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_4_img2.png 499w, https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_4_img2-236x300.png 236w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 499px) 100vw, 499px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center is-style-text-annotation has-base-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-2 is-style-text-annotation--3 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;background-color:#121212e0\"><strong>&#8220;Notice.&#8221; <em>Freedom&#8217;s Journal,<\/em> 6 Jun. 1828. From Accessible Archives \u00a9 2016 Accessible <\/strong>Archives Inc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6aec616b85cda&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6aec616b85cda\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"458\" height=\"541\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_4_img3.png\" alt=\"Newspaper clipping, a notice.\" class=\"wp-image-1773\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_4_img3.png 458w, https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/2_4_img3-254x300.png 254w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 458px) 100vw, 458px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center is-style-text-annotation has-base-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-3 is-style-text-annotation--4 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;background-color:#121212e0\">&#8220;Notice.&#8221; <em>Freedom&#8217;s Journal,<\/em> 7 Mar. 1828. From Accessible Archives \u00a9 2016 Accessible Archives Inc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Charles Short was an honorary member of the very first convention, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/omeka.coloredconventions.org\/items\/show\/70\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1830 Constitution of the American Society of Free Persons of Colour<\/a>. The Shorts were well off and respected in the community. They were also acquainted with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/black-mobility\/delegates\/john-c-bowers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John C. Bowers<\/a>&nbsp;and Stephen H. Gloucester, who were both active in the Colored Conventions movement. Charles Short was also one of the earliest public advocates and patron of the short-lived newspaper&nbsp;<em>Rights of All<\/em>&nbsp;founded by Samuel E. Cornish. In October 1829, members of Philadelphia\u2019s Black elite met at Wesley Church at Lombard St. \u201cto ascertain how far the public department of \u2018Rights of All,\u2019 is conducted, and if approved of, to devise measures for the increasing patronage of the Paper.\u201d<sup>1<\/sup>&nbsp;Short was part of the committee that approved general patronage and continued support for Cornish\u2019s paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After her husband\u2019s death, Rebecca Short had to put up notices letting debtors know where and with whom to settle monies owed to her late husband. The Shorts were wealthy enough to lend money to numerous individuals. Rebecca Short moved to Salem, Massachusetts, where she continued to generously share her time and money. When she died in 1846, reports of her death in newspapers extolled many of her virtues, emphasizing her piety and willingness to help the sick and the poor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:14px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Source<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cPhiladelphia; Wesley; Church; Lombard; Benjamin Paschal; James Cornish; Rights; Paper.\u201d Rights of All. (New York, NY), Oct. 10 1829. infoweb.newsbank.com<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Charles and Rebecca Short\u2019s tavern, Union Hotel, is also listed as a place where tickets could be had for Whipper\u2019s Reading Room address. Whipper clearly approached many businesses in the area to garner support for the Reading Room Society. The availability of Whipper\u2019s Reading Room tickets, at a space devoted to socializing and entertainment, demonstrate [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2962,"parent":4328,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"[]"},"class_list":["post-4352","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4352"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4940,"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4352\/revisions\/4940"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4328"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloredconventions.org\/women-economic-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}